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viewpoint Two heads better than one Page 8Hong Kong’s source of IT insight http://www.cw.com.hk January/February 10, 2008 • Vol XXV No 10 Price HK$40CommunicationsAre you being (electronically) served?EnvironmentCulture, Leisure &SportsImmigrationServicesEducation &TrainingHealth & MedicalServicesEmploymentGovHK is a one-stop-shop for online government servicesPage 14Housing & SocialServicesbizpeopleThe insiderBruce Schneier,CounterpanePage 10industryproleAltai chalks upniche Wi-Fi marketsuccessPage 26industryeventong ong rmsscore APICTAawards in S’porePage 36backpageChina’s Net videoregulationPage 42

c o n t e n t s January/February 200830 industryeventICT sports day draws5000-strong crowdIT professionals show off their sportingprowess in front of colleagues, friendsand family in celebration of the 2008Beijing Olympics29 chinawatchFCC approves Verizon’s US-China submarine cable systemYahoo China loses music copyrightappeal, but Baidu winsCheck: www.cw.com.hk for daily newsand online features.business4 upfrontSteampunk’d in ‘086 biznews7 macaunewsMacau hosts e-governance conference, andplans to launch light transit system by 201110 viewpointTwo heads better than one12 bizpeopleThe insider23 analystwatchThree pitfalls of corporatesocial networking24 bizfeatureConsultants find rough going in Hong KongRecent closures of consulting businesses raisesquestions over the role of IT consultants inHong Kong26 industryprofileAltai chalks up niche Wi-Fimarket success28 casestudyMTRC boosts HR system,expedites manpowerdecisions32 legalwatchWeb 2.0: miracle or disaster?coverstoryAre you being(electronically)served?GovHK is a one-stop-shop foronline government servicesPage 14technology34 technews36 industryeventHong Kong firms score APICTAawards in S’poreHK-based IT firms lauded for tech effortsranging from “white-label” online video editingto immigration clearance-streamlining38 careerwatchCIOs: manage thoseexpectations!Teresa Leung talks toAON’s Kwok Suk-Wahabout managing differinglevels of user-expectation atan organization42 backpageChina investors need a Plan COur Beijing-based correspondent reports thatChinese ministries are cutting video-sharingwebsites out of the Olympics loopwww.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 3

upfrontSteampunk’d in ‘08Every new technology has its own adoption-curve.Early adopters start speakinga language few understand—while theytry to snare venture capital. Then a few enterprisesdeploy the technology as part of their businessprocesses. If “critical mass” is achieved, the techreceives mainstream-acceptance.All technology was new and unproven at somepoint. When I started using email in 1994, few businesses(even in Silicon Valley) viewed it as a businesstool. BBSs (bulletin board services) were theprecursor to Usenet forums, which preceded today’sblogs and forums. Every technology you takefor granted was unproven at some point in time, andplagued with detractors and nay-sayers.This includes the electric powergrid. In the early 20th century, manyenterprises had a CxO-level employeewhose job was to monitor electricalpower and liaise with authorities toensure a consistent supply. Nowadayswe just plug in our gear and expect itto work. But there was a point wherecaptains of industry argued overwhether AC or DC would become thestandard, and whether a steady supply of electricalpower would ever be trustworthy.Which brings me to “steampunk.” If, like me (ormy colleague John Tanner), you’re a regular readerof boingboing.net, you know about this cultural phenomenon:a melding of pre-electric Victorian-era“steam-powered” technology with an edgy modernethos. People have modified laptops, desktops andiPods with “steampunk” styling: brass fittings, agedwood-effects, welded metal-pipe accents.Steampunk is an aesthetic, not a functionality, soyou won’t see it in your server center. But it recallsa fascinating part of computer history—the preelectriccomputer invented by Charles Babbage.As early as 1822, Babbage noted the high degreeof error introduced by humans calculating complextables by hand, and invented a machine called the“Difference Engine.” A bit of Wikipedia text sumsit up nicely: “Although Babbage’s machines weremechanical and unwieldy, their basic architecturewas very similar to a modern computer. The dataand program memory were separated, operationwas instruction based, the control unit could makeconditional jumps and the machine had a separateI/O unit.”Could such a fantastic device ever work? It does,present tense: “Based on Babbage’s original plans,the London Science Museum constructed a workingDifference Engine No. 2 from 1989 to 1991...to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Babbage’sbirth. In 2000, the printer which Babbage originallydesigned for the difference engine was also completed...boththe engine and its printer worked flawlessly,and still do. The difference engine and printerwere constructed to tolerances achievable with19th century technology, resolving a long-standingdebate whether Babbage’s design would actuallyhave worked.” You can see photos of the workingDifference Engine at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Difference_engine, and if you visit the Museum inLondon, you can see the actual device.How important was Babbage’s creation? From abusiness standpoint, engineers for UNIVAC (thefirst mass-produced computer—made in the early50s, it used vacuum tubes or “valves” to representdigits), credited Babbage as an inspiration. Andfrom a creative standpoint, sciencefictionwriters Bruce Sterling and WilliamGibson co-wrote a novel (“TheDifference Engine”) where London inthe 1850s has transited to a computerbasedbusiness economy, with firmsrunning massive Difference Enginesaround the clock to streamline theirbusiness processes, in offices lit bygas lamps. It’s a terrific read.But while it took over a century forBabbage’s vision to have business applications,things move now with electric speed. Ayear ago, technologies we report on today—flashmemory-basedlaptops, social networking sites—weren’t well known, today they’re mainstream.So prepare to be steampunk’d in 2008. Preparefor your employees to be more socially networked,more agile, more mobile. Some of the enterprisemobile apps I saw in 2007—especially mashupscombining customized data with Google Maps—arerevolutionary, and switched-on Hong Kong enterprisesshould critically examine their use of mobiledevices. There are competitive edges to be gained.Another less savory aspect of steampunk-eraspeed: security vulnerabilities, malware and exploits.Read this issue’s interview with Bruce Schneier,founder and CTO of Counterpane, for a nononsenselook at IT security today.We at CWHK wish all our readers a smooth ridein 2008, no matter how steep the curve of new enterprisetech. While the concept of steampunk dazzleswith its view of a “future-past,” we enjoy the luxuryof living in interesting times. Good and bad by turnsperhaps, but never dull.Stefan HammondEditorshammond@questexasia.comhttp://www.cw.com.hkComputerworld Hong Kong is published by Questex Asia Ltd, 501Cambridge House, Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay, HongKong.EDITORIALEDITOR-IN-CHIEF Chee Sing Chan cchan@questexasia.comEDITOR Stefan Hammond shammond@questexasia.comSENIOR REPORTER Teresa Leung tleung@questexasia.comSALESASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Simon Yeung syeung@questexasia.comACCOUNT DIRECTOR Connie Yip cyip@questexasia.comADMINISTRATIONART DIRECTOR Eric Lam elam@questexasia.comPRODUCTION & Agnes Ng ang@questexasia.comDESIGN MANAGERCIRCULATION & John Lam jlam@questexasia.comDISTRIBUTION DIRECTORASSISTANT CIRCULATION Allie Mok amok@questexasia.comMANAGERMANAGEMENTGROUP PUBLISHER Robert I. Ferguson rferguson@questexasia.comASSISTANT GENERAL Aouda Leung aleung@questexasia.comMANAGERBUSINESS MANAGER Eunice Chan echan@questexasia.comComputerworld Hong Kong is published monthly.All material is Copyright 2007 Questex Media Group,Inc. Reproduction is strictly forbidden without writtenpermission.Sales and Custom Publishing Enquiries: E-mail canbe sent to Sales@cw.com.hkComputerworld Hong Kong is circulated to IT, computingand internet companies and other private andpublic companies who use IT and computing. It is editedfor IT professionals, engineers, and senior managersresponsible for design, installation, marketingand maintenance of IT systems and networks. Freesubscription offer valid in Hong Kong only. To subscribe,go to www.cw.com.hk.Computerworld Hong Kong (ISSN 1023-4934) is published eleventimes yearly by Questex Asia Ltd. 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iznewsAsia IT market set to power forward, says Springboard ResearchLeading Asian economies like China andIndia are likely to maintain growth momentumin 2008 despite the ongoing creditcrisis in the US, said IT market research firmSpringboard Research in its recentlyreleased “2008 Asia Pacific IT Predications”executive brief.The executive brief is based on interviewswith CIOs and IT decisionmakers at leading organizations inthe region.“In contrast to the ongoing creditcrisis in the U.S. and the upwardswing in energy prices there, leadingAsian economies in countrieslike China and India, are likely tomaintain their growth momentumin 2008. Other economies in theregion, such as in Australia, Singaporeand Korea, are also likely to maintain theircurrent momentum,” said Dane Anderson, CEO& EVP of Research at Springboard Research.“Springboard Research believes that Asian organizationswill continue to significantly investin technology products and services,” addedAnderson.According to the executive brief, other key predictionsfor 2008 also include:• Service-Oriented Architecture will get more attentionand commitment from senior management;• virtualization will make steady headway in bothlarge and mid-sized companies;While Google continues to clean up inthe search engine market on the Webfaroutpacing its closest rivals-the enterprisesearch market is a much different story,according to analysts, who said Google has a lotto learn about bringing its search technology intolarge enterprises.In the consumer search market, the Internetcompany’s dominance couldn’t be more pronounced.Recent numbers by Hitwise, a researchfirm that measures search engine audiences,showed that Google continues its chokehold onthe consumer search market, accounting for 65percent of all searches in the United States lastmonth. The nearest rival, Yahoo, trailed Googlewith 21 percent, followed by MSN.com (7 percent)and Ask.com (4 percent).Google showed a 5 percent increase over lastyear, while Yahoo grew by 1 percent.But search experts said Google’s dominanceon the consumer search market won’t translateinto significant market share among businessusers until it customizes its search applianceto meet the needs of old legacy systems andChina’s likely to maintain ITgrowth momentum• cost savings will drive green IT investments;• business organizations become more appreciativeof consumer-driven technologies and applications;• skill shortages will hit vendors,IT management and the investmentplans of many organizations;• IT governance and risk managementwill be critical issues in IT organizationsin 2008;• unified communications willsteadily gain traction;• consolidation in the software industrywill continue; and• India emerges as a lucrative IToutsourcing market .“A substantial portion of Asian ITinvestments will be new investmentsand will come from organizationsscaling up their IT systems or building entirelynew ones to drive business,” said Ravi ShekharPandey, senior market analyst for SpringboardResearch.“While on a macro level, there are several factorsdriving IT investment, it is on the micro levelwhere we are seeing the real action. In 2008, CIOswill be concerned with challenges like reducingthe cost of IT operations, improving businessapplication performance, finding and retainingskilled technical people, and identifying technologiesthat integrate closely with the enterprise’sbusiness goals,” Pandey added. Google still has a long way to go in the enterprisecomplex IT infrastructures.According to analysts, Google’s Search Appliancelacks good administration features forcorporate IT departments as they try to ensurethat the tool connects properly with back-end databasesthat have been around for years (or, insome cases, decades).“You can’t just plug it in and have it work,” saidSue Feldman, an IDC analyst who specializesin search. Feldman estimated that the Googlesearch appliance for businesses accounts for only1 percent (or less) of the company’s overall revenueof US$10 billion.Meanwhile, Chris Sherman, president of consultancySearchwise, said that other players inthe corporate search market, such as Verity,Autonomy and Fast, have worked at perfectingcustomized user interfaces and strong back-endsupport to capitalize on Google’s weaknesses.“Google allows tweaks to its user interface, butthey don’t give you anywhere near the customizationthat others [enterprise search companies]do,” he said.—Compiled by CWHK staffnewsbitesDatacraft buys NZ-based firmDatacraft has reached final agreement to acquire NewZealand-based IT security consulting firm Security-Assessment.com for NZ$5 million ($3.9 million).Security-Assessment.com’s core capabilities are audits,assurance, assessment, and advice. These complementDatacraft’s existing off-the-shelf technologies withcustom work to provide world-class penetration testing,vulnerability management and risk assessment.Wipro denies acquisition talksIndian outsourcer Wipro said Wednesday that it hasn’tbeen in talks to acquire or merge with French ITservices company, Capgemini.The statement by Wiprofollows reports in the media last month that Wipro wasconsidering acquiring the French company. Wiprois India’s third largest software outsourcer after TataConsultancy Services, and Infosys Technologies.Korean Air chooses Oracle appsKorean Air has selected Oracle Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) and Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO)applications to increase its competitiveness. Korean Air’sintegrated ERP transformation project will be completedin two phases. It will establish financial management,materials and resources planning and optimization, facilitiesand ground services management and catering byJanuary 2009, and establish MRO by May 2010.NetApp to purchase US-based OnaroNetApp has signed a definitive merger agreement with USbasedprivate company Onaro. The combination of NetAppand Onaro will help enterprise organizations increase datacenter and storage network efficiencies by proactively managingand optimizing storage service levels for availabilityand performance in dynamic data center environments.Nortel powers unified communicationsat Hilton BeijingNortel has brought the benefits of unified communicationsto guests and staff at Hilton Beijing, integratingthe hotel’s in-house phone system, front-desk managementsystem and broadband Internet services anywhere,anytime. The new network simplifies personalizedcommunications services for individual or groups withvoicemail, wakeup calls and advanced informationservices that can be self-configured by guests fromtouch-screen IP phones in their rooms.Blue Coat wins Gammon contractGammon Construction, one of Asia’s top constructioncontractors, has deployed Blue Coat Systems’ ProxySGand ProxyAV appliances at its Hong Kong headquartersand its regional offices in China, Singapore, and Macau.The new implementation is designed to acceleratebusiness applications and secure Web communicationsacross the wide area network and distributed Internetgateway connection points for the company.6 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

macaunewsMacau hosts e-governance conferenceThe 1st International Conference onTheory and Practice of ElectronicGovernance (ICEGOV2007) tookplace in Macao during 10-13 December 2007.ICEGOV2007 was co-organized by the Centerfor Electronic Governance at United NationsUniversity-International Institute forSoftware Technology (UNU-IIST-EGOV)and other organizations. The conferencewas attended by about 200 participants from50 countries. Practitioners, developers andresearchers from government, academia, industryNGOs shared findings in the theoryand practice of electronic governance in theconference, through invited talks, tutorialworkshopevents, panel discussions and papersessions.According to Dr Tomasz Janowski, head ofthe Centre for Electronic Governance, UNU-IIST-EGOV, Macau, the Institute was set upin Macau in 1992. Its mission: to help developingcountries’ software industry buildingand use of IT, focusing on e-governance,training and collaboration across governmentsand academia. The organization hascollaborated with Macau government on anonline project since 2004—www.emacao.gov.mo—aimed at assisting the Macau governmentin software infrastructure, organizationimprovement and IT training.Dr Janowski said that Macao’s e-governancereadiness assessment is high (themain Macau government portal can be seenat: http://www.gov.mo/egi/Portal/rkw/public/view/sitemap.jsp). He added that e-governance is not just about providing onlinegovernment services, but about improvinginternal governmental organization. Macau to launch light transit system in 2011The Macau government published a finalplan to build its long-awaited light railnetwork in October. The first phase isexpected to start in the second half of 2008and complete in 2011 at a cost of HK$4.2 billion.The 20km line will run along the eastern andsouthern edges of the Macau peninsula andonto Taipa Island through a bridge, startingfrom the Border Gate checkpoint and endingat the Taipa Ferry Terminal. The route passesthrough the populous northern district to theHong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal, centralcommercial district, and Macau Airport andterminates at the Cotai Strip. The plan include23 stations with a planned capacity of 16,000passengers per hour.The proposed system is driverless andruns on rubber tires, similar to the SingaporeLight Rapid Transit system. The tracks will bea mix of elevated guideways and undergroundtunnels. The government has also reservedconditions for the light rail to link up with thePRD (Pearl River Delta) cross-city light rail inthe foreseeable future.—Compiled by Swallow XutechnewsLocal e-payment cards flourish in MacauMacau’s first stored-value smart card, the Macau Pass,is now in use on buses and at convenience storesand beverage vendor machines in the city. The card isissued and managed by Macau Pass S.A, which aimsto expand its use into supermarkets and car parks inMacau, and into Shenzhen through cooperation withUnion Pay (China). Meanwhile, Portugal-based Media-Card (http://www.mediacard-pt.com/ingles/index.html)is reportedly in negotiations with several of Macau’sgaming operators to offer an electronic method of paymentat casinos.Ericsson selected by CTM as telcoproviderfor the VenetianIn November 2007, Ericsson was selected by Macau’sleading telco CTM (Companhia de Telecomunicaçõesde Macau) as the end-to-end integrator of indoor coverageto the Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel. Ericsson’sturnkey in-building solution will enable seamless coverageacross 2G and 3G networks for both commercialGSM/EDGE/WCDMA and CDMA, said Ericsson in astatement. The Swedish firm supplied the telecommunicationsbackbone for all event participants and exhibitorsof the Mobile Asia Congress (www.ericsson.com/ericsson/events/mobile_asia_congress/index.shtml), held at the Venetian November 12-15.Crown Macau uses progress software tointegrate gaming applications and businessProcessesLast August, Crown Macau, a major project of gaming giantMelco PBL Entertainment, selected Progress SoftwareCorporation , a leading provider of application infrastructuresoftware, to develop, deploy, integrate and managebusiness applications, to integrate the management ofits various gaming and other service systems with thehotel’s corporate enterprise and applications. ProgressSoftware solutions enable Crown Macau, to integrate itsbusiness applications, including Crown Macau Casino’sgaming management system and other customer serviceoperations, to deliver a unique standard of service to itspatrons.Bank of China Macau and CTM jointlylaunch New iT’s Mobile BankingIn January, a service called New iT’s Mobile BankingService was launched by Bank of China Macau. Itenables customers to perform banking transactionsand investment activities, bill payments, fund transfersor investments through CTM’s WeWap mobile Internetportal. Apart from general banking transactions andforex trading, New iT’s new service also providesinstant stock quotations and stock-trading, enablingcustomers to learn about the latest market trends andinvestment opportunities. The new service pledgesmore security as it is only accessible by pre-registeredSIM cards.www.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 7

Hong Kong ICT Awards 2007The mega event of the information andcommunications technology (ICT) industry,the awards presentation ceremonyof the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2007,was held on January 21, 2008 at the HongKong Convention and Exhibition Centre. TheFinancial Secretary, The Honourable John C.Tsang, JP, officiated at this remarkable eventas the Guest-of-Honour and presented thetrophies to all winners of the grand awards.Mr. Tsang also presented the “Award of theCo-organisersCongratulationsHong KongICT Awards 2007Best Business Grand AwardHong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited [Electronic Disclosure System]Best Digital Entertainment Grand AwardTikTokTech Limited [Creative Kid]Best Digital Inclusion Grand AwardAssociation for Engineering and Medical Volunteer Services[Computer Rehabilitation Resource Station (C-Rehab) ]Best Innovation & Research Grand AwardThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Mo Li/Yunhao Liu)[Coal Mine Surveillance with Wireless Sensor Networks]Best Lifestyle Grand AwardPlayMotion Limited [PlayMotion Core]Best Public Service Application Grand AwardHong Kong Fire Services Department [Third Generation Mobilising System]Best Ubiquitous Networking Grand AwardPCCW Limited [PCCW Mobile Infotainment Platform]Supported by Office of the Government Chief Information OfficerThe Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionPlatinum Sponsor Silver Sponsors General Sponsorswww.hkictawards.hkto the winners ofEric K C Cheng, MH, OStJ, JPMH, OStJ, Year” to the most outstanding contender ofthis year.The Awards received great support fromthe industry, and attracted numerous applications.The competition was intensive; theJudging Panels had to pick the winners ofeach category from 330 entries. With GrandAward Winners of each category receivedtheir trophies and blessing, it marked thecompletion of the Hong Kong ICT Awards2007.The Hong Kong ICT Awardswere established in 2006 as acollaborative effort among theindustry support organisations,ICT professionals, academia andthe Government, with the aimto building a large scale and internationallyrecognised brandingof ICT awards of Hong Kong.The Awards aim to recognise,promote and commend the excellentachievements to whichHong Kong ICT professionalsand organisations contribute.The Awards also encourage localpractitioners to develop innovativeand creative ICT solutions,which will uplift the image ofHong Kong ICT sectors, both locallyand internationally.The Hong Kong ICT Awards 2007is supported by The Office of theGovernment Chief InformationOfficer, HKSAR, and co-organisedby seven local ICT industry-relatedorganisations. There is one GrandAward in each award category andan “Award of the Year” is selectedamong the seven Grand Awardsby the Grand Judging Panel. Theseven participating organisationsand their award categories are:Hong Kong Computer Society’sBest Business Award, Hong KongCouncil of Social Service’s BestDigital Inclusion Award, HongKong Digital Entertainment Association’sBest Digital EntertainmentAward, Hong Kong InformationTechnology Federation’sBest Lifestyle Award, Hong KongInstitution of Engineers – IT Division’sBest Public Service ApplicationAward, Hong Kong WirelessTechnology Industry Association’sBest Ubiquitous NetworkingAward, and Internet ProfessionalAssociation’s Best Innovation &Research Award.

Hong Kong ICT Awards 2007Best Business Grand AwardBest Digital Entertainment Grand AwardBest Digital Inclusion Grand AwardHong Kong Exchanges andClearing LimitedOne remaining obstacle to the efficiencyof Hong Kong’s electronicsecurities market has been thenumber of paper documents issuedby listed companies. Now the HongKong Exchanges and Clearing Limited(HKEx) has developed the ElectronicDisclosure System (EDS), forthe electronic dissemination of listed issuer news.EDS utilises a straight-through process for submittingand disseminating issuer documents onthe HKEx website, where they can be accessedeasily by local and overseas investors. EDS alsoprovides electronic vendors with a digital feedthat transmits the full text of all issuer disclosures.Free news alerts from listed issuers are provided toover 37,000 registered subscribers, including retailinvestors. The system’s multiple web servers andserver load balancing infrastructure ensure highavailability and resilience.EDS helps increase market transparency for investorsand reduces regulatory costs for issuers.The system also strengthens the competitivenessof the Hong Kong securities market.Best Innovation & Research Grand AwardHong Kong University of Scienceand Technology (Mo Li / Yunhao Liu)Safety in coalminesdepends crucially onthe constant monitoringof many undergroundconditions, such as the structural integrity ofthe mine and the presence of oxygen, other gases andwater. The network that is used to link the many sensorsneeded and for rescue communications must beabsolutely reliable, even in emergency conditions.Hong Kong University of Science and Technology isundertaking a long-term project to develop an automatedsystem for Coalmine Surveillance with WirelessSensor Networks. The project is so promising that ithas already obtained five-year funding contracts frommore than one source.Cabled systems are unsuitable for the tough conditionsin coal mines, and conventional wireless sensornetworks are vulnerable to failure caused by the effect onwireless propagation of planned or unplanned changesto tunnel topography and environmental conditions.This pioneering research project will explore techniquesto enable the tiny sensor used to be self-organized or“adaptive” in the face of changing conditions.PCCW LimitedMobile services arecontinually undergoingrapid evolution and at theforefront of this dynamicchange is Hong Kong’s PCCW mobile. Often seenas complex and confusing, mobile service plansinvolving multimedia have not always been soTikTokTech LimitedThere is a big global market forelectronic games, especially creativegames that can utilise anexisting TV screen as a displaydevice. TikTokTech Limited hasdeveloped and marketed a gamecalled Creative Kid, in which a child can “draw” onthe TV screen using a handheld wireless controllerin the shape of a wand. A video camera is partof the system, and players can take a snapshotof themselves which becomes a brushstroke forscreen painting. Five art games and three musicgames are included, each incorporating animation.In TikTokTech’s patented technology, claimed tobe more advanced than the Nintendo Wii system,camera-based pattern recognition is used to trackthe 3D position and orientation of a colored lightpattern attached to a handheld wand. The wandis also a wireless transmitter that communicateswith the dual MCU controller. Creative Kid is inexpensiveand has already been well-received bythe global toy trade.Best Lifestyle Grand AwardPlayMotion LimitedInteractivity is a majorcomponent of bothentertainment andeducation. PlayMotionLimited has quickly established itself as a leader inthis field, with the PlayMotion Core, a system thatprovides an interactive experience for kids andadults triggered by full-body movement, and aimedat the entertainment, education, corporate-brandingand healthcare sectors.PlayMotion Core’s interactive experiences rangefrom full-body interactive large projected or LED walldisplays for 3-8 players, up to large networks of massivescreens capable of entertaining 250+ guests. Nogoggles, gloves or other devices are required. In additionto full-body interaction, PlayMotion Core workswith kiosks, novel input devices such as wands, largemulti-touch displays and auditory displays.PlayMotion Limited achieved profitability in justthe first year of operation. The company’s interactivesystems have been adopted by leading companiessuch as Nike, Google, Atari, Red Bull, Dior, Adidas,IBM and Ocean Park, as well as theme parks, museums,aquariums, learning centers and hospitals.Best Ubiquitous Networking Grand Awardwell received by consumers and professionals butPCCW mobile has introduced the industry’s firstfully integrated bundled service offering a completemobile infotainment service.Key services include the world’s first real-time TVbroadcast service via a 3G network and also the largestmobile music library in Hong Kong. “NOW Sportson mobile” service is the first to provide full live bigleaguefootball match coverage on, while “MOOV onAssociation for Engineering andMedical Volunteer ServicesMentally handicapped persons mayface special difficulty in accessingcomputer-based education and trainingmaterials, due to the complexityof using programs, and the need toread detailed instructions. The Associationfor Engineering and MedicalVolunteer Services (EMV) has overcome these difficultiesby providing C-Rehab (The Computer RehabilitationResource Station), a unique website withready-made resources for use in the training andeducation of mentally handicapped persons.C-Rehab comprises over 300 ready-made multimediatraining programs addressing the interests andlearning needs of mentally handicapped persons.The website is easy to use because of the attractive,colorful, extra-large icons and graphics, realisticsound effects and animation and an enlarged mousepointer to assist those with vision impairment.C-Rehab had nearly 16,000 users by March 2007.The website is funded by the HK Jockey Club CharitiesTrust and is free to both individual users andgroups.Best Public Service Application Grand AwardHong Kong Fire Services DepartmentThe Hong Kong Fire Services Departmentis a government departmentwhose varied duties for thepublic include fire fighting, rescueand emergency ambulance services.The Department has introduced theThird Generation Mobilising System(TGMS), a state-of-the-art mobilisingand communications system.TGMS incorporates a Common Application Platformsoftware with 21 integrated sub-systems, includingthe Computer Telephony Integration technologyand the Calling Line Identification System forthe receipt of emergency calls from the public; theAutomatic Vehicle Location System and GeographicInformation System for identification of vehiclepositioning; the Computerised Mobilising System,which uses advanced searching algorithms to locatesuitable fire engines and ambulances for dispatch;the Automatic Call-out System which broadcasts dispatchmessages to fire station using text-to-speechsoftware; and the Mobile Data Terminal installed onfire engines and ambulances for data communicationswith the Fire Services Communications Centrethrough the Wireless Digital Network.mobile” provides more than 100,000 local and internationalsongs and music videos via streaming technology,without the need for downloading.This ground-breaking platform enables subscribersto tailor their own lifestyles with a rich mix of innovativemobile services, such as real-time TV, streameddigital music, shared viewing of photos and video clips,remote monitoring, ticketing, push email and an integratedfixed/mobile office communications solution.

viewpointBy Laurie M OrlovTwo heads better than oneWhy you need more than one software vendorThe conventional wisdom is that it’s alwaysbetter to have fewer software vendors—or even a single vendor—to manage thanit is to use multiple vendors. Now that, accordingto a recent Forrester Research report, thereare only 17 large independent software vendorsleft, it’s a good time to reevaluate this closelyheld belief.CIOs who subscribe to the “one-throat-tochoke”approach to vendor management typicallythink about it in one of two ways: Eitherthey want to get the various company departmentsthat run different tools to agree to a singleprovider or they want to forestall deployment ofnew tools until their big enterprise vendor suppliesthem. The goal is to, one way or the other,achieve a standard platform and make runningIT easier.Why vendor standardizationis wrongAt the core of the desire for standardizationhas always been the desire to optimize IT at theexpense of business constituents who prefer (orbelieve they need) a variety of different tools todo their jobs. By reducing the number of softwareproducts to support, limiting the number ofvendors to call with a problem and minimizingpotential behind-the-scenes data complexity, theIT job will be easier and overall support costs willbe reduced. This optimization may, however, engendersubstantial employee frustration during aswitch to IT’s preferred tool.Another questionable justification for standardizationhas been that integrating productsfrom multiple vendors along with the data frommultiple systems costs much more than standardizingon fewer vendors. Unfortunately, fewIT departments compare the potential costs ofintegration with the costs of dependency on onevendor’s product. With fewer vendors in the ITportfolio, CIOs limit their negotiating leverage;vendors won’t budge on terms if they don’t thinkthey have competition.Meanwhile, standardization produces unfortunateside effects. Business constituents wait endlesslyfor that elusive next version or conversion.Resentment of the IT department bubbles andboils as end users’ favorite tools are retired ornew tools lack functionality that users want.Five ways to reverse aflawed strategyGiven the downsides to the one-throat-to-chokeapproach, should IT organizations abandon it? Insome cases, such as in prime contractor servicevendor relationships (where a single consultingfirm manages relationships with smaller subcontractors),it may be useful. But in the world ofsoftware, having one throat to choke has virtuallyno benefit. Enterprises need leverage with vendorsto manage and maintain costs that can getout of hand as their organizations grow and thesoftware market shrinks. Here are five ways tomaintain your leverage.1Prioritize a common data model over commonsoftware. Sometimes IT migrates to asingle software vendor but doesn’t get around torunning identical application versions, or worse,enables users to enter nonstandard data. Makingdata usable is more important than having astandard version or vendor. Getting agreementon the data model is more difficult than decreeinga software standard, but the business resultsare more compelling than the number of vendorsyou use.2Retain more than one vendor in every importantcategory. Even though it may be temptingto reduce IT support costs by limiting vendorsto one, maintaining multiple products in astrategic software category protects your futureleverage. Even if switching costs are high, youshould keep vendors guessing by continually remindingthem of their competitors’ unique andstate-of-the-art product and service benefits.3Maintain your balance of power with competitiveor reference bids. Vendors know that ifyou are fully dependent on their products, youwill have difficulty eliminating them. Keep themguessing about how much you need them. Onemid-market CIO I know attends the user conferencesheld by his current vendor’s competition,meets with the competitor’s salespeople, solicitsbids from them, and considers their products fornew deployments and at upgrade time.4Support third-party vendors. The strugglesof third-party ERP maintenance provider TomorrowNow (which competed with, then wasbought by and is now being sold by SAP) raisesthe question of why more CIOs don’t support independentmaintenance providers.Are CIOs so dependent on a vendor’s featureupgrades in subsequent product versions thatthey give in to vendors’ threats to withhold themif maintenance is canceled? Think about whetheryou really want those upgrades. IT execs canband together to find the capital to fund thirdpartyservices and products they need to sustaintheir independence and leverage.5Assess your portfolio for acquisition probability.Finally, take a close look at your portfolioto identify your greatest vulnerabilities. Figureout which software products are likely to be acquired-puttingfuture product innovation at riskandspecify contractually any code escrow termsthat preserve your options.The end result? Those business constituentswill be happy to hear that you will leave themalone to use Cognos or Hyperion or whatever applicationthey want. Now, if only they will agreeon the proposed standard definition of a customername and address.Laurie M Orlov doesresearch and consultingon business and technologystrategy. She is a formervice president and principalanalyst at ForresterResearch.10 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

izpeopleThe insiderBruce Schneier, founder and CTO of Counterpane, outlines the cybercrimelandscape enterprises face today. He explains to CWHK’s Stefan Hammondthat insiders are a problem, managed security services are a solution, and adetermined crew with a chainsaw and a truck is a big problemBruce Schneier: Security is fundamentally not a technology problem—it’s a people problem.CWHK: Computer security never seems to getbetter, only worse. Why?Bruce Schneier: Because security is fundamentallynot a technology problem—it’s a peopleproblem. And while the technology continues toimprove, increasing complexity makes the problemworse.It’s war. But it’s much more interesting, and it’salways pervasive.CWHK: It used to be “script-kiddies” writinggoofy viruses, but it’s more dangerous nowadays.BS: Starting about five years ago, hacking shiftedfrom a hobbyist activity to a criminal professionalactivity. We see that in the structure of currentviruses and worms, and in the rise of spam, identitytheft and fraud. Current threats representcriminal pursuit—it is a for-profit venture. Andcriminals are far more dangerous than hackers.They are also far more professional. Largescalecybercrime is difficult. Stealing the moneyis only the first step. Then you have to move themoney into a dummy account, probably offshore,and then convert it into something you can withdrawand use. So there’s an entire financial backendthat has to be built in order to make thiswork.So this crime is moving upmarket. We’re see-ing organized-crime gangs using identity theftand other online fraud as a way to make seriousmoney. They’re mostly coming out of Russia andeastern Europe.CWHK: Why those areas?BS: Because of the lack of serious law enforcement.Russia/eastern Europe is the primarybreeding ground for this kind of criminal activity,Asia is second. Then sub-Saharan Africa andSouth America. Basically, you’re looking for aplace with ineffective computer crime laws, bribablepolice forces, and no extradition treaties. Soyou look for places where the police aren’t goingto bother. After all, if you’re stealing from banksoutside their country, why should they bother?CWHK: How much do you estimate is currentlybeing stolen by cybercriminals?BS: We have no idea. So much isn’t even reported,and there are many instances where the victimsdon’t even know they’re being attacked.CWHK: Do you see any progress in enforcement?BS: Not really. It comes down to where the“push” is. The US government has terrorism asits highest priority, so they’re pushing ID cardsand focusing on airport security. Meanwhile themedia industries are pushing Digital Rights Managementfor music and movies. No one’s pushingcybercrime—it’s not “sexy.”To help with enforcement, we really need goodinformation-sharing—for example, on Interpol.We need unified laws and ways to prosecuteacross borders. But our fear of this terrorism issucking up the energy that would have gone intofighting cybercrime.CWHK: OK, but we’re talking about a lot ofmoney that’s being systematically stolen.BS: It’s systematic and it could greatly affectthe future of the Internet. We’re not yet at thepoint where people are saying: “this e-commercething is dangerous.” But it could happen.How many more basis-points do we haveto lose before people start to seriously questionthe safety of Internet commerce, beforeeveryone’s got a story about a friend of theirswho lost a lot of money? We’re at the cusp ofwhat could be a serious crisis of confidence,and the Net’s moving faster than a lot of ourexisting processes.CWHK: Law enforcement tends to move slowerthan Net speed, but do want to catch the badguys. What should they be doing that they’renot?BS: We need to get better at prosecuting. Securitycomes from deterrence, and that meanshigher conviction rates and better sentences.How you get those is through better crime laws,a better conviction-rate, and more savvy police.It’s an economic problem; we need to raise thecost, and risk, of being a criminal.CWHK: On an enterprise-level, what can anindividual enterprise do to help “lock thingsdown”?BS: The same thing you do in a world where youcan’t trust the police: you have to do it yourself.You hire private security. On the Internet, thatmeans buying firewalls, IDSs, and hopefully hiringCounterpane to monitor them. You have totake charge of doing your own security, becauseyou can’t rely on greater society doing it for you.CWHK: In-house or outsourced?BS: Either is fine. The trend now is towards outsourcing,which makes sense for many reasons.But even if it’s something as simple as puttingin a firewall, you can’t rely on society—you mustpurchase security.CWHK: We read reports of online gaming beingtargeted for extortion.12 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

izpeopleBS: Yes. Online gaming, online gambling, onlineporn: the “fringe” industries. Those are the maintargets right now.There’s no publicity on this, but it is movingmainstream. It’s not the biggest companies thatget hit. The huge multinationals—the ones withtheir names on top of the buildings—they’re notgonna fall for it. But the medium-sized companiesare likely to write the check. It’s an interestingcrime-niche that we’re seeing a lot morefrequently now, but no one will speak on therecord—victims don’t want to draw attention tothemselves.CWHK: But people will pay.BS: Oh yes, definitely. People have paid.CWHK: But doesn’t that give incentive to thecriminals to go out and find new targets?BS: It gives them the incentive to find somebodyelse. If you’re a criminal, and I can make you attacksome other party, I win. It’s a classic “prisoner’sdilemma” problem: individual interests arecontrary to group interests.BS: Sure, but that’s been true forever. For enterprises,the weakest link is often the insiderproblem.Your people can cause havoc withinyour organization, so you have to hire trustworthypeople, you have to minimize the amount thatyou trust them, and you do some education ongood practices.CWHK: Which are?BS: Don’t take work home, choose good passwords...butyou must assume that’s all going tofail. Do it anyway. But when the bid is due in 24hours, all the security practices go out the window,and you’re going to take your work home ifyou have to. And nobody will say you did wrong,even if you broke security. Because when securityfights with business functionality, securityloses.CWHK: On a macro scale as well.Mac has made better security choices—theyseem to be on a better footing.But if you’re a bad guy writing a virus, and youwrite it for Windows, you have ten times the potentialtargets. The economies of malware meansyou’re going to target that platform. But to theuser it doesn’t matter—my wife has a Mac andshe laughs every time there’s a [Windows-based]security problem. Is it because the Mac [OS] isbetter, or because nobody’s targeting the Mac?She doesn’t care. She’s safer. She’s more secure.CWHK: What do you use?BS: I use Windows. It’s been a corporate standardfor years, and it’s just easier to use the platformmy company supports.CWHK: What about desktop Linux?BS: Like the Mac, it’s a much less vulnerableplatform—certainly a combination of [an OSthat’s] more secure out of the box, and far fewerpeople writing vulnerabilities for it.CWHK: How does that work?BS: The way it works is that the amount is lowenough, so you pay up and the bad guys leaveyou alone. It’s a protection racket. The incentivefor governmental bodies may be to get rid of thecrime, but the incentive for the company is to deflectit. If I’m a store running a security system,and a burglar attacks the store next door, that’sa win. But if I’m a police department, that’s a failure—Ihaven’t reduced the crime rate. So a lot ofpeople who succumb to the extortion are reallysaying to the bad guys: here’s some money, goaway and attack somebody else. Preferably mycompetitors.To break this cycle, government needs to stepin with greater deterrence measures.CWHK: We’re talking about cybersecurity, butof course physical security is part of the equation.BS: I just blogged about an incident: somebodybroke into a datacenter and stole a lot of data.And they did it with a chainsaw and a truck.They cut a hole in the wall and stole tenservers. Of course the data was unencryptedbecause the servers were live online. It’s probablyan inside job: someone knew what to take,where the cameras were, and what wall to cutthrough.CWHK: More and more, insiders are comingunder scrutiny as cybercrime risks.People who succumb to extortion are saying to the bad guys:here’s some money, go away and attack somebody else.Preferably my competitorsBS: Yes. You can’t say: “I’m sorry sir, you can’thave a JV with this Malaysian company, Malaysia’snot cybersecure!” Your bosses will say:“Shut up, we’re making millions of dollars.” Andthey’ll be right. You can’t tell Amazon they can’taccept orders without SSL, of course they can!The job of security is to do your best with whatyou have, and they’re not going to win by banningBlackberrys or thumb-drives or saying “no,you can’t do that.”It’s hard because technology moves so fast.It moves faster than our human ability to internalizeit. And once you’ve figured it out, it willhave changed. We’re getting to the point whereyou can’t rely on people to have good intuition,because we don’t have the time to develop thatintuition.CWHK: Based on IT reportage, the majorityof malware seems to affect the Windows operatingsystem. Some say it’s because of market-share,others say the OS is inherently lesssecure. What’s your opinion?BS: The answer is: we don’t know. But it’s probablysome of both.Windows has made a lot of bad security choicesover the decades that [Microsoft] is trying desperatelyto undo, and it’s a slow and ugly process.CWHK: You established Counterpane in1999—what was the genesis of the company?BS: I founded it because there were a lot of securityproducts out there that were being usedbadly, and the missing element was human expertise.We were always a service—we neverbuilt anything, we just made things that alreadyexisted work. Real-time security monitoring andmanagement and a lot of services around that.We now have about 100 employees, and were acquiredby BT about a year ago.BT, in its surprising wisdom hasn’t broken us.Seriously. So many acquisitions like this turninto disasters, but BT has largely left us alone.They’ve given us global reach, because beforewe were primarily operating in the US. And,compared to the kind of contracts that BT does,Counterpane’s a rounding error. We’re doingmore business than ever with a roster of internationalcompanies that continues to impressme.NOTE: This version has been edited for length:check the online version at http://www.cw.com.hk/ for the entire Schneier interview.www.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 13

COVER STORYAre you being(electronically) served?CommunicationsEnvironmentCulture, Leisure &SportsImmigrationServicesEducation &TrainingHealth & MedicalServicesEmploymentHousing & SocialServicesBottom Line:• The HKSAR governmentnow has a “one-stop-shop”portal for services• But Web 2.0 technologies are Hong Kong’s strong private enterprises make effectivenot fully leveraged at present• As private sector online e-government a challenge, but GovHK is a one-stop-shop forservices evolve, so toomust their governmentalonline government services By Stefan Hammond14 Computerworld Hong Kong equivalents January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

COVER STORYGovernments have delivered services tocitizens for centuries, but Net-deliveredservices are new. The concept of “e-government”comprises traditional government servicesdelivered in new ways, but like all thingsNet, offers the promise of new services as well.Hong Kong’s unique urbanscape meansthat online-service planners in the HKSARmust work to a different standard comparedto other urban environments. In the urban areasof Hong Kong, you’re never more than ahundred meters or so from an ATM, and mostHong Kong ATMs allow you to transfer fundsto other accounts, pay utility bills and even payyour income tax.This is different from North America or Europe,where ATMs are basically cash-dispensersand once bankers’ hours are over, your onlyrecourse is online (and in some areas of NorthAmerica, the nearest bank may be dozens ofkilometers distant). Most Hong Kong retailersoffer EPS (Electronic Payment System) whichallows buyers to settle their bills with a handheldterminal that performs the ATM-like functionof deducting the purchase-amount froma savings account without additional charge.The ease-of-use we enjoy in conventional bankingin Hong Kong lessens motivation towardscreation of online services.And so it is in the public sector. With serviceslike Urbtix or the facilities-booking-officesof the LCSD (Leisure and Cultural ServicesDepartment), Hong Kong’s citizens can booktickets for cultural events or sports facilities atcontinued on page 16 GovHK will become the single entry portal for all governmentinformation and services— The OGCIOThe HKSAR government’s Frederick Ma: Maintains ablog on government issuesExit Dickson, enter...thenew GCIO“It’s been a blast,” said outgoing GCIO Howard Dickson, whosethree-year term as head of the OGCIO ended January 31st.“Hong Kong is a fantastic place full of energetic, competentpeople.”Dickson, whose lengthy career in technology governance includedstints as the first CIO of Canada’s Departmentof National Defence and Assistant DeputyMinister, Information Management from1999-2004, waxed positive about his HongKong staff in an interview conducted shortlybefore he left the post. “Never once in HongKong have I had a staff member come to meto complain about another staff member,” hesaid, “and that’s unique. Hong Kongers knowhow to work together.”On the tech side, Dickson stressed thatonline privacy issues would be a focal point inthe future, and a weak link in privacy is socialnetworking (as exemplified by Facebook andsimilar sites). “We [in the government] needmore understanding of those media, and whataction options people want us to implement,”he said. “We need to know where we need toadvise, and where we need to write a law.”Dickson predicted that HKSAR governmenttech regulations would evolve towards socialnetworking issues over the next few years.As for the present, Dickson said that while the digital divide stillexists in Hong Kong—particularly among small and medium enterprises—”youdon’t solve it by dropping a bunch of PCs on thelandscape. We hope to do better by helping educate [them] on theuse of technology, and we want to encourage more discussion onissues like spam, DRM [digital rights management] and intellectualproperty.” He added that consolidating health records online wasimportant for Hong Kong and should be a priority.Although a successor has yet to be named, Dickson suggestedthat the role would be better served by aCantonese speaker, saying that while muchbusiness communication is formal, the informalbanter that helps form bonds betweenofficials is also important. And he mentionedthat there would be “growing interactionnorth of the border,” suggesting that familiaritywith Putonghua would also be a plus.Advice for his successor? “Move towardsgetting Hong Kong citizens’ records online,especially health records...this will also generatesecondary business. Social networkingmay also become politically relevant.”“We must keep our finger on the pulse andunderstand what our industry peers mustformulate,” he said. “If we manage that, wecan bring a bigger role in building effectiveonline services for Hong Kong.”As we bid farewell to Hong Kong’s firstGCIO, we at Computerworld Hong Kongwish Mr Dickson all the best.www.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 15

COVER STORYcontinued from page 15nearby outlets, without the need for a computer.Hong Kong’s dedication to convenience,ironically, is a stumbling block in our driveto improve online delivery of government services.But the younger generation is accustomedto the Net, and as we consign our dusty beigefax machines to the recycle-pile, we fire up ourlaptops and expect to access government servicesonline. And the Hong Kong governmentis delivering: the last few years have seen thecreation of the OGCIO (Office of the GovernmentCIO) and the consolidation of various onlinegovernment services into a single portal.Enter GovHKThe new site, GovHK (www.gov.hk), wassoft-launched in September 2006 with a fulllaunch and ceremony in August 2007. Addressingthe ceremony, then-Acting Financial SecretaryFrederick Ma (currently secretary forcommerce and economic development), saidthe launch of GovHK was “a new milestone inThe HKSAR’s maine-gov portalLast year, the HKSAR government rolled out GovHK, describedas “the one-stop portal of the Hong Kong SpecialAdministrative Region (HKSAR) Government.” The site’sURL is http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/GovHK features links to information and services and organizesthem by user groups, i.e. “Residents”, “Business & Trade,”“Non-Residents” and “Youth”, and subjects (e.g. “Education &Training,” “Transport & Motoring”) rather than government bodies.The idea is that Netizens can find what they need withouthaving to know which government organization is responsible fora particular service or program. Also, the integral search engineis intended to help you find informationand services on all government websitesin Hong Kong.Here’s the sitemap: http://www.gov.hk/en/about/sitemap.htm“As GovHK grows, information and serviceswill be added to the portal itself,” accordingto the site. “This means that youwill be able to get more of what you needwithout leaving GovHK.”Perhaps, but there are other useful governmentsites. Chief among them is theLSCD site:http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/home.phpHome of the Leisure and Cultural ServicesDepartment, which promises to: “Enrichlife by providing quality leisure and culturalthe development of e-government services inHong Kong, marking a new citizen-centric approachin public service delivery.”Ma, who maintains an English-language blogon e-govt issues (http://blog.digital21.gov.hk/Hong Kong’s unique urbanscape means that online-serviceplanners in the HKSAR must work to a different standardcompared to other urban environmentsen/en_index.php) added that the user-friendlyinterface allowed different information and servicesto be grouped into clusters or subjectsfor easy access by various user groups—seesidebar, The HKSAR’s main e-gov portal.Developed and managed by the OGCIO,GovHK’s service clustering approach is aimedat helping the public access both governmentinformation, and approximately 1,200 e-gov-ernment services, said the OGCIO in a statement.These clusters include: environment,education and training, employment, immigrationservices, taxes and duties.The OGCIO added that the GovernmentInformation Centre (www.info.gov.hk) wasabsorbed by GovHK in May, while the onlineGovernment services previously offered by theESDlife website migrated to GovHK upon theexpiry of the Government’s contract with theoperator in January 2008. “After the full migration,”said the OGCIO, “GovHK will becomethe single entry portal for all government informationand services.”services for all, promote professionalism and excellence in leisurepursuits and cultural services, promote synergy with sports, culturaland community organizations in enhancing the developmentof the arts and sport in the territory, preserve cultural heritage,and beautify the environment through tree planting,” among otherthings.You can book public sports facilities, access the Hong KongFilm Archive database, book tickets through Urbtix, check theHong Kong public library catalog, or sign up for the LCSD newsletterat:http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/esd.phpThe sitemap is here:http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/sitemap.phpAnd there’s a thorough description of Hong Kong’s vital PersonalData (Privacy) Ordinance here:http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/info_pdo.php16 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

COVER STORYto be posted and the government should takeit from there.”“I think better use of Web 2.0 technologywill enable to government to develop a closerrelationship with the people, and improve thelevel and quality of governance in Hong Kong,he said.Another area that Mok feels could be improvedis the “youth” section of the site. “Young peoplein Hong Kong today are Net-savvy,” he said. “Asit stands now, there’s not even a public forumarea in the ‘youth section’ of the government’ssite—that’s not going to impress kids who areused to the ease-of-use of social networking siteslike Facebook or MySpace.”Continued evolutionMok is correct: the government musttake notice of changes in the private sector,no matter how fast it changes. The developmentof GovHK is an important step inthe evolution of online government services.But the citizens of Hong Kong deservenothing less than efficient online services,and they will expect no less from their government.And as privately delivered online servicesevolve, so too must their governmental equivalents.Hong Kong is unique in that—as outgoingGCIO Howard Dickson put it—”governmentfacilitates and industry acts.” We have aunique symbiotic relationship between publicand private sectors here in Hong Kong. But inmany areas, the burden of services falls uponthe government. And increasingly, it will fallon GovHK.Satisfaction with US e-govt sitesslips among usersMok from the Internet Society: Wants to see thegovernment leverage Web 2.0 techniquesThe government conducted a user satisfactionsurvey after the soft launch of GovHK inSeptember last year. The survey reflected that87% of the respondents considered it easy tofind the information and services they neededin GovHK, while 79% said they would recommendit to others. The government plans tocontinue to improve the content of GovHKhaving regard to users’ feedback.Continued improvement“The government has made improvementsin its Net-delivered services,” said CharlesMok, president of the Internet Society of HongKong. “But the structure of their website isstill very hierarchical, and it’s not always easyfor an average citizen to navigate the site tofind the information they want.Mok gave examples of ways the HKSAR governmentcould improve the flow of its main site.“They should embrace Web 2.0 principles,” hesaid. “For example, if there’s a broken waterpipe in a public area, someone could take aphoto with their mobile phone and upload itto a public forum where it’s sent to the relevantdepartment for action. Netizens shouldn’thave to worry whether it’s the Water Departmentor the Drainage Services Department orwhatever—the site should just allow the photoUser satisfaction with US government websites slipped slightly for the thirdstraight year, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI)E-Government Satisfaction Index.The federal government sector got a 72.9 on the ACSI’s 100-point scale, down 0.5%from the last quarter, and the lowest score since the second quarter of 2005, accordingto the quarterly study. The report, which measures the online performance of 100federal websites, is produced by the University of Michigan.“There haven’t been any widespread innovations in these sectors that help diversesegments of site visitors navigate through vast amounts of information quickly andeasily,” said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ACSI sponsor ForeSee Results, in astatement. “Private-sector e-commerce, on the other hand, is doing a better job ofinnovating and setting higher standards for the Web experience, and ultimately thatinfluences citizens’ perceptions of their e-government experiences as well.”E-business websites scored 75.2, down 1.7% from last year, and e-commercescored 80, up 0.5%, Freed said in a statement. According to the study, e-commerce isdefined as buying and selling over the Internet, while e-business is defined as buyingand selling, as well as serving customers and collaborating with business partners.Freed said most citizens still prefer to interact with the government via the Web, butthe decline in online satisfaction means that the government is probably falling behindin boosting citizens’ perceptions of public-sector services.Two Social Security Administration websites continue to lead all e-government sites:Internet Social Security Benefits Application, with a score of 88 and Help with MedicarePrescription Drug Plan Costs, with a score of 87.The other top performing e-government websites, those that scored 80 or higher,perform at the same level as their private-sector counterparts, Freed said. And morethan half of the top performing e-government sites are health-related, showing that thefederal government has succeeded in becoming a credible source of health informationonline, Freed said.“Improving satisfaction with federal websites will drive more citizens to use the channel,which has the beneficial effect of making them more satisfied with government overall,”said Claes Fornell, founder of ACSI at the University of Michigan, in a statement. “The benefitsof improving customer satisfaction accrue in the long run, so government should takeaction today to turn around this distressing e-government trend and to leverage the potentialof the Web to improve the quality of service to citizens.”—IDGwww.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 17

Sponsored FeatureHK Housing Societygains ISO 20000International standard key to IT service excellenceHousing Society’s Margaret Chan and PeterMiao with their hard-earned certification.In December 2007, the Hong Kong HousingSociety became the first non-profitorganization in Hong Kong to achievecertification to ISO 20000, the internationalstandard for IT Services Management.The Housing Society is a non governmentorganization dedicated to providing management,maintenance and redevelopmentservices on a self-financed basis, to promotehousing quality in Hong Kong.The IT Section, with a headcount of 39,serves the staff of 1,040 users with 900 PCs.A primary goal is to satisfy user requirements,but in 2006, the Head of IT, Peter Miao, wasnot content with the progress made. “Over thelast four years, our surveys showed that the importanceof IT was rising, but the users’ levelof satisfaction was measured at only about 3.5out of a maximum of 5 overall. We needed abetter management framework.”The previous year had seen the publicationof ISO 20000, an important new internationalstandard for IT services management. It incorporatesboth a specification for servicesmanagement and a code of practice to helpusers comply. ISO 20000 is aligned with thewell-known IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL),and is also compatible with ISO 9000, ISO27001 and other quality disciplines, such asSix Sigma and CMMI (Capability MaturityModel Integration).After a thorough assessment, the IT Sectionrecommended the new standard to the HousingSociety’s main board, which quickly endorsedthe program. Mrs. Margaret Chan, Director ofCorporate Services, comments: “Our missionis to improve housing for the Hong Kong communityand we strive for continuous improvement.IT services are increasingly importantto our operations. Achieving ISO 20000 certificationmeans that we have institutionalized astructured framework to improve IT in servingour operation needs.”Objective of ISO 20000certificationThe plan to seek ISO 20000 accreditationwas based on clearly agreed and objectivegoals that will support the Housing Society’sprimary mission of service to the community.“Our primary objective is to help our colleaguesutilize IT more effectively in their dailywork and we measure our success by takingsurveys,” said Miao. “We need to establishan IT service culture within the organizationand to adopt ITIL best practices. This in turnrequires a phased approach in which the underlyingmanagement processes are initiatedand improved. An example of a best practiceis the replacement of our conventionalHEAT (Helpdesk Expert Automation Tool) bya much more comprehensive Service Deskcomplied with ISO 20000 requirements.Another important goal is to increase theefficiency and effectiveness of IT and, in thelong run, reduce its cost. In order to achievethese goals, it is first necessary to establisha knowledge management framework and toimplement suitable tools for the IT servicesmanagement processes.Implementation in phasesThe Housing Society implemented the manyprocesses required for certification to ISO20000 between April 2006 and November 2007.Project Leader for the certification process wasSimon Ko. “We adopted ITIL two years ago,but that standard tells users what to do, it hasless to say about how to do it. The ISO 20000standard is a major step forward, because itprovides a methodology to achieve best practice.With the aid of experienced consultants,we have been able to improve our performanceagainst benchmarks, and that provides thebaseline for continual improvement,” said Ko.The IT Section retained Quint, a Europeanbased global consultant with a goodknowledge of the ISO standard. Preparationfor certification was accomplished infive phases, starting with the support servicesfor users, including the creating ofthe Services Desk, together with the proceduresfor incident and problem management.“Prioritizing user needs is a way ofgetting quick wins, which helps drive theprocess,” said Miao.Continued...18 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

Hong Kong Housing Society – ISO 20000 AccreditationCongratulations toHong Kong Housing SocietyWith the compliments ofCongratulations toHong KongHousing SocietyWith the compliments ofwww.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 19

Sponsored Feature...ContinuedThe second phase related to software,comprising change management, releasemanagement and configuration management.Relationship management is an element inthe next two phases. “The third phase includedservice levels, business relation managementand configuration management,”said Miao, “While the fourth phase focusedon customers and suppliers, management ofIT service continuity and availability, financialmanagement and more configurationmanagement.”Phase five was certification, including preassessmentand closing final gaps beforethe certification process.New management applicationsThe Housing Society used a leading ITservices vendor, CA, to supply and implementthe specialized applications needed tomanage the ISO 20000 processes. The softwaretools required to comply with the ISO20000 specification were mostly groupedunder the umbrella name Unicenter IT Service& Asset Management.The service desk provides comprehensiveassistance to users. A knowledgebase was set up to store and retrieve everykind of information relating to the way theIT infrastructure functions. This means thatsolutions to problems generated by the ITSection will remain available indefinitelyCapacityManagementService Continuity & AvailabilityManagementRelease ProcessRelease ManagementISO 20000 Service Management ProcessesService Delivery ProcessesService Level ManagementService ReportingControl ProcessesConfiguration &Change ManagementResolution ProcessesIncident ManagementProblem Managementas a resource. A dashboard was set up tomonitor the IT infrastructure and ensurethat all essential performance levels aremaintained.Benefits of certificationDuring the implementation of ISO 20000,the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency,as the certification body, carried out assessmentsof 13 key IT processes. In March 2006,most scores obtained were lower than required,especially for problem managementand service level management. But by December2007, all the scores obtained were ator above the required level of 3.5 necessaryfor certification. A key achievement was thereduction of 45% in IT incidents reported byusers.“ISO 20000 is about managing people aswell as IT processes, technologies and keydeliverables. We have substantially improvedboth our service levels and our relationships,and we are now well equipped to deal withany weaknesses, using the ISO continual improvementquality circle,” said Miao.Implementation required close collaborationwith users, said Ko: “At the start, usersdid not see what benefits they would getfrom the project, but as our performance improved,they experienced a faster responseto incident calls. Our surveys and quarterlyreviews show the majority of users are satisfied.Also, the feedback we get from meetingsis more positive and users are moreInformation Security ManagementBudgeting & Accounting for ITServiceRelationship ProcessesBusiness RelationshipManagementSupplier ManagementThe ISO 20000 certification assuresIT processes and services are in linewith world-class standards.customer-focused.”Miao intends to institutionalize the ISOframework and process in his Section, payingmore attention to the areas where improvementshave been identified, such assupplier management, release managementand information security.ISO 20000 in the AP regionFollowing the success of the Housing Societyin adopting ISO 20000, Miao has nohesitation in recommending this standardto local companies: “We are promoting thestandard in Hong Kong through the ITSMF(IT Services Management Forum). There areseveral major organizations that are implementingthe standard, or planning to do so,including the MTRC,” said Miao.“There may be a case for government agenciesto become more proactive in supportingthe certification process,” continued Miao. “Ibelieve that European industry has benefitedconsiderably from adopting standards for ITservices. The Asian Pacific region needs to followthe same route, but Hong Kong is still laggingbehind Taiwan, Korea and Japan in implementingthese standards. ISO 20000 providesan excellent opportunity for local organizationsto upgrade their IT services with a single costeffectivecertification process.”20 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

Hong Kong Housing Society – ISO 20000 AccreditationCongratulations toHong Kong Housing SocietyWith the compliments ofEPRO SystemsA CMMI Level-5 I.T. Outsourcing Services Providerwww.epro.com.hkCongratulations toHong KongHousing SocietyWith the compliments ofQuint Wellington Redwoodwww.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 21

analystwatchBrian PrenticeThree pitfalls of corporatesocial networkingAs the social networking bandwagon gainspace, IT organizations increasingly try todetermine whether Net-based social networkingsites like Facebook or MySpace are asecurity risk to be managed or an inevitability tobe accepted. But enterprise products can bridgethe gap. Corporate social networking tools likeIBM’s Lotus Connections or BEA Systems’ AqualogicPathways offer the functional capability of asubset of existing Internet-based social networkingsites, but can be deployed behind an organization’sfirewall.This appeals to IT departments seeking to internalizethese networking processes. But Net-basedsocial networking sites are free-of-charge and corporatesocial networking tools are not. So beforeIT departments invest in the latter, they must considerwhether the “outside-in” pattern of technologieslike instant messaging and VoIP is valid in thecase of social networking.Social networking is a more intricate form ofcollaboration than IM or VoIP. There’s no guaranteethat deployment of corporate social networkingwill succeed, even with a solid base ofFacebook-users in the organization. Three human-centricpitfalls must be considered beforean investment is made in a corporate social networkingproduct.Pitfall 1: the desire to protect“personal intellectual property”Knowledge-workers are aware that what they createand contribute to as part of their employmentis the property of their employer (it’s spelled outin most employment contracts today). But whilethe intellectual property rights of an employer areexplicitly defined, the intellectual property of theemployee is implicit. All knowledge-workers areengaged in a balancing act, ensuring they adhereto the terms of the employment contract while atthe same time ensuring they retain and developthe skills, credentials, connections and reputationnecessary to secure employment in a fluid labormarket. Creating and protecting “personal intellectualproperty” is a pervasive and unspoken realityin organizations around the world.If knowledge-workers use a corporate socialnetworking solution for social profiles and connections,wiki entries, blogs and tags, this informationbecomes their employer’s explicitintellectual property—because it’s been createdthrough the corporate IT system. If their employmentstatus changes, they’ll permanently loseaccess to these critical data. Knowledge-workerswho understand this won’t use corporate socialnetworking solutions, as Net-based services providethe same benefits without the loss of whatthey perceive as their personal intellectual property.Pitfall 2: the need to maintainexternal professional networksIT departments must realize that their usersdon’t see a sustainable distinction between internaland external social networking. Knowledgeworkersmaintain connections with individualsfrom their organizations’ customers, suppliersand partners—plus former colleagues and othercontacts—which, combined with their internalconnections, form their professional networks.The more seriously knowledge-workers takesocial networking, the less likely they are to acceptusage limitations. But organizations likelywon’t fund licenses for all external connections (arequirement of using corporate social networkingsolutions), nor enforce policies governing licensegrants for external use. Faced with maintainingtwo social networking environments, users withmany external connections won’t choose the internalsystem.Pitfall 3: social networking memeneeds maturingIT departments shouldn’t interpret the hype surroundingsocial networking to mean that a socialnetworking meme has matured to the point of beinga critical business requirement.Prior to the explosive growth of Facebookin the work environment, the dominant socialnetworking tool was LinkedIn. The scope ofLinkedIn is limited—it acts more like a hostedmultidimensional address book than Facebook’sprofile-based, shared experience style of socialnetworking. But simply accepting a Facebookinvitation doesn’t mean the user understands oradoption of its approach to social networking forprofessional purposes.Social networking in the working environmentis far from a collaboration toolset. Howdoes Facebook-style social networking supportwork outcomes? And the first wave of third-partyextensions adds little value to professional networks,although a second wave of more-substantivebusiness-oriented applications should appearduring the next 12-18 months.To mature effectively, usage patterns mustevolve in relation to current collaboration tools—particularly email. For example: have emailblasts been supplanted by blog entries linked toWhile the intellectual property rights of an employer areexplicitly defined, the intellectual property of the employeeis implicitcommunities of interest and distributed throughReally Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds?Think before you leapCorporate social networking products can offersecurity advantages over Net-based socialnetworking sites. But IT departments should understandthat the value of social networking residesin content, not in code. As corporate socialnetworking incurs licensing fees, IT departmentsmust tread carefully—to ensure they’re not committingto expensive social networking that willultimately prove unsuccessful. Brian Prentice is aresearch director atGartnerwww.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 23

Hefty feesUK-headquartered PA Consulting’s withdrawalfrom Hong Kong and Asia was evenmore surprising given its healthy governmentcontracts. The HKSAR government had appointedPA Consulting to help devise its IToutsourcing strategy, while in Australia PAConsulting had been engaged in the government’sID card scheme.The decision to close the Hong Kong, Singaporeand Australia offices dovetailed with afall in business at the firm’s core markets inEurope and the UK. According to former PAConsulting staffer Kevin Moore, “PA had gotbizfeaturegoing in Hong KongRecent closures of consulting businesses raises questions over the role of ITconsultants in Hong Kong, yet demand is high and opportunities remain,say players in the market By Chee Sing ChanHong Kong is a mature technologymarket with no shortage of hardenedbusinesses looking for an edge overrivals. The market for IT consultants hereshould be thriving.But not if you’re Gartner or PA Consulting.Both firms offer executive advisory servicesand consulting expertise to CIOs and IT heads,but both shuttered consulting operations inHong Kong, Australia and Asia by the end of2007.Gartner ceased operations in May whenits consulting arm was closed in Hong Kongand Australia following the earlier closure ofits Singapore operation. This did not affectits lucrative market intelligence and researchbusiness, but did indicate upheaval in Asia’sconsulting market.Sources close to Gartner in Hong Kong saidthe decision was inevitable as Gartner in theUS had previously made clear that Asia Pacificwas no longer a focus and had stopped investingin resources here.A former Gartner consultant believes thatthe mix of cultures and markets in Asia andAustralia flummoxed management, who hadbeen attempting to run their Asian operationsin the same way as the US business units.Wallem’s Slesinger: Hiring a consultant might beconstrued as a loss-of-face because management maybe seen as unable to solve problems in-house“Clients here can be a little more discerning,”he said. “They want the optimum solution atall times and many feel they already have theexpertise in-house.” The employment marketin HK, particularly in IT, is geared to largerin-house teams given the preference for fulltimework over contract-based employment.UK and Europe have well developed contractemployment markets while Hong Kong is lessmature.According to Patrick Slesinger, director andCIO at shipping firm Wallem Services, thereis also a cultural obstacle for consultantshere. “Some IT managers may feel it wouldbe a loss of face in the eyes of managementif they admitted they had to find an expert toprovide knowledge unavailable in-house,” saidSlesinger.Other CIOs have commented on the highThe employment market in HK, particularly in IT, is geared tolarger in-house teams given the preference for full-time workover contract-based employmentten ahead of itself with large government contractsin the UK, and when those deals endedor wound down, the board reviewed costs andfound it made no sense to continue Asian operations.”Moore added that a last-ditch plan by anAustralian consulting firm to buy out partsof the Asian operation of PA Consulting fellthrough.Despite the demise of Gartner and PA,Moore—now CEO of Hong Kong’s Agile8Consulting—believes the consulting market isno more difficult here than elsewhere.price of consulting here in Hong Kong not beingrepresentative of delivered value. Somesay that while US rates are applied in Asia, thequality of service delivery by local consultantsdoesn’t match expectations.Moore noted that a few years ago the lowestfees were in excess of US$2,000+ per day whichis unfeasible for most firms. Today rates are morereasonable at around $1,200-1,500 per day.Local shortagesSlesinger said that consulting firms often24 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

izfeaturebase quality staff in Asia, but soon find thework is insufficient to support these “A-list”employees full-time, so they’re rotated backoverseas and local staff is employed to keepoffices occupied. Under this model, customersoften find that the experts serving them areflown in, adding to the cost.“In such cases,” said Slesinger, “I feel it’sonly fair the consulting firm pays part of thecost of flying in domain experts as it’s theirproblem that they don’t have those resourceshere in Hong Kong.”The Wallem CIO added that there is an overalllack of quality local technology deploymentexpertise. “We want people who can provideoptimized deployments,” he said, “not simply[install] the system.”Often consultants are also brought in whenit is too late, said Slesinger—to rectify prob-lems or resolve crises that are often too lateto salvage. “I don’t think there’s a culture ofbringing in consultants in at a strategic level,”he added.Big Blue still thrivingMeanwhile the dominant IT services playerin the market, IBM, claims it’s actively hiringfor its consulting division.Vincent Wong, partner and head, HongKong Practice, Global Business Services,IBM, said that demand is rising, leading to activerecruitment of consultants. “Clients havebecome more demanding,” said Wong. “Theywant providers who can transform their businesswith a complete package of services andtechnology.”IBM’s progress in this area derives mainlyfrom the growth of multinational businesseshere in Hong Kong who require consistent deploymentsin Hong Kong or China. But Wongnoted that some growing SMBs seeking toexpand beyond Hong Kong shores work withIBM to determine how to enter other markets.He believes there are clear opportunities butcustomers today want a full suite of strategy,process and systems deployment, and downstreammaintenance.However, Agile8’s Moore believes that IBMstill leaves some customers with questions ofcredibility from the consulting arm’s link toBig Blue’s hardware and software divisions.“I still believe there will be market potentialfor the smaller consulting firms who are fleetof foot, more flexible and able to deliver quickly,”said Moore. “But it’s not as easy as it usedto be,” he admitted.Clued up on consultantsKey items CIOs should know about IT consulting and contractingConsultants and contractors canprovide specialized technical orbusiness expertise, additional bodiesto help lift an IT project’s immense weightor—at worst—another bucket to bail waterout of a sinking ship. However, most CIOsand IT managers have horror stories aboutconsultants gone bad: consultants who didn’tdeliver what they promised on time, gavebad advice, fought with (or fraternized with)full-time employees. Usually, these problemsresult from a lack of understanding betweenthe two parties and their divergent businessinterests. Surely, someone has advice toshare about how to get the most out of consultantsand contractors?1. Be aware of—and honest about—thereasons you’re bringing someone in.Many managers imagine that their motivationin calling a consultant is purely technical:the application’s broken, the server’s hiccupping,the project’s late. Savvy managers—and experienced consultants—know better.“Almost every problem that I’ve been askedto solve has, at the core, been a people problem,not a technology problem,” said DavidMoskowitz, principal consultant at ProductivitySolutions in the US.IT service providers advise IT leaders to getclear on the problem at hand, why they’rebringing in consultants, and what kind of consultantsthey need. Independent consultantDavid Cressey said CIOs must understandthe difference between seeking a contractoror consultant for staff augmentation versusadding expertise that isn’t part of the company’score knowledge set.There are legitimate reasons for bothendeavors. But, cautions Cressey, the twosituations affect the way you vet the agencyand the individual consultant, the terms andconditions you should seek, and the amountyou should expect to pay. “If you don’t knowwhich you are doing, you are likely to eitherpay too much, or hire a person or an agencythat just isn’t up to meeting your needs,” hesaid.2. Few consultants generate wisdom thefirst day.Your company probably has an orientationprocess for new employees. They’re added tothe All_Developers e-mail distribution; they’reintroduced to people in other departmentswhom they might need to rely upon, and soon.Consultant Brian Marick said it’s impossibleto hit the ground running when no one hasplanned for your arrival. “The first half day ormore of my week at their company is spentdiscovering that there’s no meeting room foran introductory session, no place to pair, akey person is out for a dentist appointment,no one’s downloaded tools yet...I’m not theonly person whose time is being wasted,” hesaid.Clients need to organize an onboardingprocess for consultants that’s similar to theexperience for new employees. Plus, themore transparent you are about your businesswith your consultant, the better ableshe’ll be to create more reusable, moreversatile code, and the better equipped she’llbe to contribute to the creative process ofhelping your business model flourish. Themore information the consultants have aboutyour field, the easier it is for them to draw ontheir experience with tried and tested parallelsin other fields. This will save you time andmoney on testing and prototype phase developmentand get you a better solution faster.3. If you hire a subject matter expert, payattention to her advice.Managers who don’t understand basictechnologies are a nightmare for consultantsto work with because they can’t articulatethe problem that needs to be solved or thework that needs to be done. Everyone is bestserved when the IT manager has a teensyweensyidea about the subject the consultantis hired to address.If you don’t know the knowledge domain,consultants urge, don’t try to insist on the rightway to solve a problem, shove a solution downthe specialist’s throat or decide how long theproject should take. Don’t make pronouncementsand estimations based on what may bevery optimistic—or uneducated—assumptions.They’ll only come back to haunt you.—By IDG staffwww.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 25

industryprofileAltai chalks up niche Wi-Fi market successSmaller tech firms can fly high in the right market segments, says Lin Chi Hung,president of Altai Technologies, a Hong Kong-based firm that designs, develops,and markets outdoor wireless broadband products By Teresa Leungyou compete with players like Cisco and Aruba?What new opportunities do you see?LC: I believe in meeting users’ needs withtechnologies that work. It doesn’t matter to mewhether it’s Wi-Fi or WiMax. Today we use Wi-Fi because it’s inexpensive and devices like notebookPCs are Wi-Fi enabled. People won’t throwaway their Wi-Fi enabled tools immediately justbecause WiMax is a new and more advancedtechnology.CWHK: Do you think local companies are sophisticatedwireless users? Why or why not?LC: They don’t use Wi-Fi as much as foreignfirms because we have outstanding, robust wiredinfrastructure in Hong Kong that has boosted Internetpenetration to over 90%. Local enterprisesuse Wi-Fi just to add convenience, rather than asa necessity.Lin from Altai Technologies: Wi-Fi isn’t a necessity inHong KongCWHK: Why does Altai focus on wireless? Itseems to me the firm is the only local vendorthat does Wi-Fi hardware.Lin Chi Hung: When I and some of my likemindedfriends returned to Hong Kong fromNorth America six or seven years ago, we believedmobility’s the way to go—not only locallybut also globally.Think about the development of the Internetin the last 20 years. Today, the Internet has becomea lifestyle. Users want Internet connectionsnot just in front of computers in their offices andhomes, but also when they are on the go. Wehave 3G networks, but they aren’t fast enough.We need wireless broadband networks to enablespeedy on-the-go connections.CWHK: Where have you set up offices? Howbig is your team now?LC: We have 33 people in the Hong Kong officeand more than 10 at our Shenzhen location.There are also sales representatives working forus in the US and Europe.CWHK: You have already established presencein overseas Wi-Fi markets. But how doWe have 3G networks, but they aren’tfast enough. We need wireless broadband networks to enablespeedy on-the-go connectionsLC: Altai Technologies targets different userswho need strong wireless network coverage forhuge areas of outdoor space that they occupy. Ina container terminal environment, for instance,things are never static. Wireless network signalmust be strong enough to cover the moving containersand machines at work.I understand procurement people have a preferencefor well-established brands like Cisco andAruba, but we have shown to them that our productsprovide the coverage they need for their specialenvironments. Our customers include containerterminals in Hong Kong, China, and theNetherlands. We also provide Wi-Fi networks inCambodia’s Siem Reap (where tourist attractionAngkor Wat is located), as well as WashingtonSquare Park and Bryant Park in New York City.CWHK: Who are your competitors in this arena?LC: There are more than 10 firms of our sizeproviding outdoor wireless network equipmentworldwide. There are also some vendors in thisspace in China, but many of them never ventureoutside the mainland.CWHK: Which of your overseas markets isyour strongest?LC: In Southeast Asia, Malaysia is our biggestmarket because that’s one of the first countrieswe entered. Other huge markets for us includesmall cities and suburbs in the US.CWHK: OFTA (Office of The TelecommunicationsAuthority) will auction at least six licensesfor running WiMax services in autumn.That’s also an issue for local vendors. We can’tafford R&D if we focus only on the small homemarket.CWHK: What do you foresee as the “buzzapps” for wireless in Hong Kong and othermarkets?LC: A lot of apps will be generated when there’scity-wide wireless coverage, which isn’t the casein Hong Kong. The government’s hotspot projectisn’t city-wide in nature because it intends only tocover its own facilities.Useful apps I can think of include those relatedto metering reading for utilities, public safety, e-education for remote areas in developing countries,emergency and rescue for coal mines inChina, home monitoring, and mobile advertising.CWHK: What about VoIP-over-WLAN?LC: The technology has become mature, butregulations in different countries exist to protectlocal telecom operators, thus preventing VoIPover-WLANfrom widespread adoption. 26 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

casestudyMTRC boosts HR system,expedites manpower decisionsUpgrade aimed at speedier decisions, improving HR strategy for both HongKong and mainland operation By Teresa LeungIf you think human resources (HR) applicationsonly provide companies with basic functionssuch as payroll and employee recordsmanagement, think again.MTR Corporation (the MTRC) has usedOracle’s PeopleSoft Enterprise Human CapitalManagement (HCM) software since 2001when the firm had to meet the local MandatoryProvident Fund (MPF) requirements. Atthat time, the firm’s employees could alreadyuse the application’s employee self-servicefunction to access services like a paperless annualleave application-and-approval process.The system also helped the HR departmentmanage salary administration and records relatedto leave, qualification and employee performanceevaluation.But the public transportation company wantedmore than just increased productivity resultingfrom automated HR processes.Vincent Luk, general manager of HumanResources at the MTRC, said that the firm’s12,000 employees are the company’s most importantasset, which should be deployed strategicallyand effectively.The MTRC spent about eight months in upgradingthe HCM software to its newer version8.9, which went live last April. During thoseeight months, configuration works such asChallenge:Deploying human resourceseffectively and strategicallyfor business expansionProduct:PeopleSoft Enterprise HumanCapital Management systemversion 8.9Benefits:• Effective manpower strategy• Anytime Web-based accessto HR system• Automated human resourcesprocesses resulting inincreased productivitythose related to local employment ordinancewere done, said Daniel Lai, head of InformationTechnology at the MTRC. Hong Kong’ssole rail service provider opted to add the competencyand skill modules and the web-basedemployee self-service feature onto its systemto enhance functionality.Quick info on employee skillsAccording to Lai, the competency and skill module,combined with other employee data, allowsthe firm to devise effective manpower strategy.“We can now retrieve information quickly—forexample, how many employees are familiar withsignaling systems and how many of that samplewill retire five years from now,” said Lai. “Before,we had to dig out such information manually, atime-consuming process.”The information also enables the MTRC toplan training at the right time, ensuring that anoptimal number of employees equipped withskills needed by the company will be available,he added.Leveraging mainland opportunitiesIn addition, the MTRC relies on the systemto plan for internationalization. The firm hasventured outside Hong Kong—projects inprogress include Beijing Metro Line 4, ShenzhenMetro Line 4, and Shanghai Metro Line9.Lai said the system helps the firm makefaster, better decisions on which employeesshould be picked to manage projects outsideHong Kong. “The system, for example, identifiesemployees who speak fluent Putonghua orhave China experience as possible candidatesto work for our mainland projects,” said Lai.MTRC’s Lai: An HR system must ensure we havepeople with the right skillsThe system helps the MTRC make faster, better decisionson which employees should be picked to manage overseasprojects—Lai from MTRCAccording to Luk, about 100 MTRC employeeshave been selected for relocation to helpin those projects.The new version of the HCM system alsoallows employee access for various purposeswhenever they are connected to the Internetwith a browser.“Our previous employee self-service systemwas inside the LAN which only allowed accessfrom office computers,” said Lai. “Now employeescan log on to the system from anywhere tocheck for instance days of annual leaves available,apply for annual leaves, or change theiraddresses.”The MTRC has also brought the newer versionof the HR system to its Beijing joint venture.Lai said the firm has plans to deploy it inother operations outside Hong Kong too. “Wewant to have one system to support our differentoperations,” said Lai.28 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

chinawatchFCC approves Verizon’s US-China submarine cable systemBy Brad ReedNetwork World (US)Verizon Business announced in Januarythat it has gained final approval from theUS Federal Communications Commission(FCC) to activate and operate a trans-Pacificcable system that directly links the United Stateswith mainland China.According to Verizon Business, the FCC hasgranted the company a landing license thatwill provide it with “final authority” to run itstrans-Pacific cable system. The cable system,which will run from Oregon through South Korea,Taiwan, China and other East Asian countries,will eventually be able “to support theequivalent of 62 million simultaneous phonecalls, more than 60 times the overall capacityof the existing cable directly linking the USand China,” the company said. Additionally,the company said that Verizon Business customerswill be able to access the cable systemat wavelengths of up to 10Gbps.Verizon first announced its intention to constructthe cable system, known as the Trans-Pacific Express, in December 2006. At thetime, Verizon Business said the system wouldcost US$500 million to construct and would initiallyprovide capacity of up to 1.28Tbps, withthe eventual goal of having design capacity ofup to 5.12Tbps. The goal of the cable system,said Verizon, is to meet bandwidth demand forIP, data and voice business services betweenthe US and Asia-Pacific.“This next-generation undersea system...will provide our multinational customers doingbusiness in the fast-growing Asia-Pacificregion with data services that operate at fasterspeeds, with even more reliability,” said VerizonBusiness President John Killian.Construction for the system began last Septemberwhen the first cables for the submarinenetwork were laid off the Korean coast. Accordingto Verizon, the cable system is due to be completedby August of 2008 and will eventually total17,000 kilometers of cable. Yahoo China loses music copyright appeal but Baidu winsBy Peter Sayer, IDG News Service(Paris Bureau)ABeijing court has rejected Yahoo China’sappeal against a fine of 210,000yuan (US$28,400) for infringing a 2006copyright law.The suit, filed in January by the 11 membersof the International Federation of thePhonographic Industry (IFPI), accused YahooChina of infringing copyright by deep linking,through its music search engine, to MP3 filesdistributed by third party websites without thecopyright holders’ permission.The Beijing No. 2 Intermediate People’sCourt found Yahoo China guilty on April 24,imposing the 210,000 yuan fine—far less thanthe 5.5 million yuan sought by IFPI—and YahooChina promptly appealed. The BeijingHigher People’s Court rejected that appeal onThursday.Yahoo China is wholly owned by Chinesecompany Alibaba.com, in which Yahoo owns a44 percent stake. The offending music searchengine allowed visitors to Yahoo China’s siteto find and play copyright music tracks withoutleaving the Yahoo site, according to the IFPI.IFPI blames such sites for what it said is anabnormally low level of music sales in China:around $76 million in 2006, representing lessthan one percent of global recorded musicsales, according to the group. It estimates that99 percent of music downloads in China infringecopyright.A separate suit filed by IFPI against Chinesesearch engine Baidu.com in September 2005resulted in an acquittal for Baidu. IFPI appealedthe ruling, but its appeal too was rejectedThursday, leaving Baidu in the clear, saidIFPI spokesman Alex Jacob.“The Baidu case was judged on the old copyrightlaw, so our appeal was rejected,” Jacobsaid.www.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 29

ICTsportsdayICT sports day draws5,000-strong crowdIT professionals showed off their sporting prowess in front of colleagues,friends and family in celebration of the 2008 Beijing OlympicsBy Chee Sing ChanIn a show of Olympian spirit, IT professionals, movie stars, dancers and showbiz celebritiesconverged at the Sham Shui Po Sports Ground in Kowloon on a fresh January Sunday toput on a display of physical prowess and light-hearted entertainment at the first-ever HongKong ICT Sports & Fun Day.A hugely successful day was supported by 23 sponsors from the vendor and user communityand attended by almost 5,000 people who crowded intothe stands to witness an array of sporting activities.The Open Ceremony of ICT Sports & Fun Day kicked offthe main proceedings: more than 1,000 people involved ina parade of the 20 participating teams around the stadium.Made up of IT vendors, end user organizations and industryassociations, the parade dazzled the crowd with an array ofdisplays and performances. Among the high-octane dancing,skits and Olympics-themed shows, Towngas walked offwith the “Best Performance at the March-in” award.The decision was made by the guests of honor which included:Frederick Ma Si-hang, secretary for Commerce andEconomic Development; Pan Yong Hua, director general ofthe Education, Science & Technology Department, LiaisonOffice of the Central People’s Government in the Hong KongSAR; Connie Ho Ka Lai, veteran fencing player; Cheng KaHo, international nanquan champion; Yu Chun Lai, NationalGames for the Disabled silver medalist; Jenny Fung Ma KitHan, BBS, chairperson, Hong Kong Para-Olympic Committee& Sports Association for the Physically Disabled; SunnyLee Wai Kwong, president, Hong Kong Computer Society; and Raymond Chu Cheuk Lun,chairperson, ICT Sports & Fun Day 2008 Organizing Committee.Raymond Chu and FredMa award a donation tothe HK Committee Para-Olympic(Left)The Olympic torch onits lap of honorStar turnoutOther highlights of the day included the much-hyped football match between a selectICT team and the Hong Kong Movie Star football team captained by Alan Tamand featuring fellow star Nat Chan. The entertaining game was a closely fought affairwith the Movie Stars triumphing by a solitary goal struck three minutes from the end.Numerous other chances by the movie star team went astray, most notably a penaltymiss by captain Tam.The crowd was reminded of Tam’s musical achievements when TV celebrity GillMohindepaul Singh (better known as “Bobo”) did a rendition of some of Tam’s hitrecords, which drew amused looks from Tam and his fellow stars. Starlet Jolie ChanYat Suen (formerly known as Chan Yuen Kei) also hit the stage with a few songs towarm the crowd as they sat in the wind-beaten stands.The Hong Kong Para-Olympic Committee & Sports Association for the PhysicallyDisabled was also recognized for its long and successful track record of helping the disabledmake the most of their physical capabilities through organizing, planning and promoting variouskinds of sports activities. The Organizing Committee of the ICT Sports & Fun Day 2008donated HK$100,000 for further training of the disabled sportspeople in Hong Kong and supportingthem to represent Hong Kong SAR in various local, regional and international sportscompetitions.Alan Tam, Nat Chan30 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

ICTsportsday(L to R) Cheng Ka Ho, Connie Ho,Sunny Lee, Pan Yong Hua, Fred MaJolie Chan performing on stageTable tennis—Matrix styleICT Sports & Fun Day 2008Organizer• Hong Kong Computer SocietySponsors• Lenovo (Hong Kong) Limited,PCCW Solutions Limited• Canon HongKong Co Ltd,Hewlett Packard HK SAR Limited• CA (HK) Ltd, IBM China/Hong Kong Limited,Jardine OneSolution (HK) Ltd, Microsoft Hong Kong Ltd• Automated Systems (HK) Ltd, Group Sense Ltd,NCSI (HK) Limited, NEC Hong Kong Ltd, Oracle Systems HongKong Ltd, Symantec Hong Kong Ltd• Microwave LimitedTowngas’ teamof riders scoop“Best Parade Performance”prizewww.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 31

legalwatchPeter BullockWeb 2.0: miracle or disaster?When Friends Reunited was launchedjust a few years ago, it was viewed asa healthy and useful application of theInternet. For many, it provided an opportunity tore-open conversations interrupted by relocationor adulthood.Nowadays the phenomenon is called “social networking”—asubset of Web 2.0. Social networks,now led by Facebook, allow users to set up profilepages and customize them by adding photosand personal details such as age, family details,contact info and employment history. Users areencouraged to develop their network by invitingother people to join their network or group.Privacy is a victim of Facebook’s successGroups can be personal or centered around aninstitution, workplace or theme. And these themescan, of course, be derogatory.Online privacy 2.0Online social networks are big business, yetmany who enter these networks don’t understandthe extent of exposure of their personal informationand the risks to themselves and their employer’sreputations.Privacy is a victim of Facebook’s success. Itslarge subscription base acts like a centrifuge,drawing more and more members in. AlthoughFacebook has yet to achieve hegemony in termsof online networking tools, many who receiverequests to join other networks like MySpace orLinkedIn think twice before accepting. It seemslikely that few suppliers will prevail, and these willnaturally expand. More people—and potentiallymore businesses—will have access to the personalinformation of unwary users.Traps for the unwary individualFacebook allows subscribers control over theirprivacy settings (although their advertising program,Beacon, has been called intrusive in itstracking of users’ actions in affiliated sites). Aproblem arises when users do not think throughthe choices made or ignored when they set uptheir account.The default position is that a user’s profile is visibleto both the user’s friends and anyone in theuser’s group or network. But users can insteadchoose to be visible only to “friends,” or to everyoneon the service. Given that the “London” networknow has over 900,000 members, the simpledefault setting opens members of that group toalmost a million Facebook users.No one has a million friends. It’s easy to imagineburglars profiling individuals through Facebook,and discovering impending holidays when thetarget’s residential address may be unoccupied.There’s also a rise in the insidious practice of viralmarketing: “friends” are enlisted by marketers torecommend products to their networked users.It’s spam, but it’s also more difficult to label ascontrary to Hong Kong’s Unsolicited ElectronicMessages Ordinance.Traps for the unwary employerMost enjoy gossiping about their employer orpast employer. Some are more discreet than others,but most of us have at some time said somethingthat we know we shouldn’t have. But afterinitial concern that the matter might be reportedto our bosses, the reality dawns that allegation of aspoken misdemeanor is seldom a serious charge.Not so with a written gaffe distributed via theNet. It might as well be written in indelible ink.Many Facebook networks revolve around workplaces.Careless postings along the lines of “Ihate it here,” are damaging to the individual andmay hurt the morale of other staff. And posting“I hate it here because they cut corners on safety”creates significant issues for the employer’sreputation.Employers are rightly concerned about theover-use and abuse of social networking sites bystaff members. The practice can harm productivityand waste system resources—photos and videosabsorb bandwidth and storage. And IT managersare rightly concerned that users are opening aback door to malware and/or hackers.A survey of more than 300 HR professionalsfound that half of them have encountered or havehad to discipline employees for wasting time onthe Internet. Two-thirds said their firm blocks accessto social networking sites. Forty percent ofHR managers said their companies’ Internet usagepolicy covered the use of social networkingsites.What to do?If the correct advice were that all employersshould unquestioningly block access, then lifewould be simple. However, business leaders inHong Kong understand the blurring of social andprofessional networks. The generation just nowcoming into the workforce are “digital natives”of Web 2.0. Businesses are rightly eager to courtthem, but they are so attuned to using social networkingas a medium of expression and maximizingthe benefits of the technology that they arelikely to brush aside the disadvantages of the postprivacyage as a necessary evil.The future workforce won’t be able to realizetheir full potential without the use of social networkingtools. It is likely that employers, particularlyin professional services business, will needto leave these sites unblocked and roll with thepunches, while curbing excesses through policiesand education.Peter Bullock is head of Outsourcing,Technology & CommercialLaw, Asia Pacific and aPartner of Pinsent Masons’ InternationalLaw Firm. He canbe contacted at peter.bullock@pinsentmasons.com32 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

technewsEMC will replace some disks with solid-state drivesEMC plans to introduce a line of solidstatedrives using flash memory as anoption to replace some disk drives inthe company’s high-end Symmetrix storage arrays,a company spokesman said in mid-January.EMC will offer solid-state drives with capacitiesof 73GB and 146GB, said Abhrajit Bhattacharjee,an EMC spokesman in Singapore.The drives, which willship this quarter, willonly be available as anoption with Symmetrixstorage arrays, andwill not be availablewith other products, hesaid.Pricing for the solidstateEMC will offer 73Gb and 146Gb solid-state drives digital cameras. Butmulticell flash is significantlydrives wasn’t immediately available, butusing four 73GB solid-state drives to replacefour of the 146GB hard disk drives in a Symmetrix100-disk array would increase the costby less than 10 percent compared to a comparablesystem using only hard disk drives,Bhattacharjee said.Solid-state drives use memory chips insteadof magnetic platters to store information.These types of drives are generally fasterand consume less power than traditional diskslower, making single-cell flashmore suitable for high-performance applicationssuch as solid-state drives. Single-cellflash memory is also more durable that multicellflash. Each cell on a multicell flash chip isgenerally good for 10,000 write/erase cycles,while the cells on single-cell chips can last for100,000 write/erase cycles. The durability of aflash memory chip can be increased with theuse of wear leveling, a technique that writesdata equally to all of the memory cells on adrives, but they are also significantly more expensiveedly.chip instead of using the same cells repeat-AMD delays 2 Phenom chips, moves up energy-saving quad-coreAMD is pushing back the release of twoPhenom processors just as it speeds upthe release of what it’s calling an energyefficientquad-core chip.In November, AMD announced that its upcomingPhenom 9700 and 9900 processorswould ship in the first quarter of this year. JohnTaylor, a spokesman for AMD, told ComputerworldUS last month that they’re being pushedback to a second-quarter delivery.At the same time, Taylor said that the companyis picking up the pace in delivering its9100E processor. The 9100E, which reportedlyuses a third less power than regular Phenomchips, had been slated on in-house road mapsto ship in either Q2 or Q3, but is now on thedocket to be released this quarter, he said.Not so long ago, AMD discovered an erratain the Transition Lookaside Buffer (TLB) thatdelayed shipments of some of the highly anticipatedBarcelona chips. The errata—a bug—also affects Phenom processors, which arebased on the same architecture.The solid-state drives are aimed at customerswilling to pay a premium for the significantlyfaster response times these drives offer,Bhattacharjee said.EMC plans to use single-cell flash memoryin its solid-state drives, which will allow forhigher performance but costs more than multicellflash memory.Single-cell flash memory stores one bit ofinformation in eachmemory cell, whilemulticell flash memorystores two. The greaterdensity of multicellflash makes it perfectfor music players andWith the delayed Barcelona chips weighingdown AMD, which had its fair share of financialstruggles last year, there was quick onlinechatter about what this new delay will meanfor the company. Taylor was adamant, though,in saying that the delay is part of a rearrangingof priorities rather than a major problem withthe chips.“No, no. It’s much more a matter of prioritizationand resources than any problems withthe processors themselves,” he added. “Ourfocus is on the energy-efficient products andtriple-core products.”Taylor said AMD’s plan to ship a triple-coreprocessor in the first quarter is still on track.“[Resellers] want triple-core as fast as they canbecause it gives them differentiation and it hitsa sweet spot in the market,” he added. Thatmeans AMD should be releasing the energyefficient9100E processor during this quarter,along with the triple-core and long-expectedBarcelona chips.—Compiled by CWHK staffnewsbytesIntel launches low-cost server platformIntel has developed a white-box blade server based onstandardized components, instead of specialized parts usuallyused to produce such systems. Dubbed Clear Bay, the serveris based on a 6U-high blade chassis that can support up tosix two-way server nodes running dual-core or quad-coreXeon processors, 14 hard-disk drives, two storage-controlmodules, a management module and two Ethernet switchmodules.Hitachi releases 500GB drive for laptopsHitachi has launched the Travelstar 5K500, the highestcapacity drive yet developed for portable PCs. The 500GBhard-disk drive for laptop computers is due to begin shippingin February. Hitachi has managed to increase the capacity ofits 2.5-inch drive by adding a third disc platter and by crammingdata together more closely on those platters.Free email search tool from IBMIBM has released a free email search engine that does fuzzysearches, using “advanced algorithms that can interpretincomplete queries and find information such as phone numbers,people, meetings, presentations, documents, imagesand more.” The idea, IBM said, is to help people find informationin their Lotus Notes email databases by identifying themost relevant information in a search query and extrapolatingwhat the user is trying to find.Enabling the green IT revolutionStandard Performance Evaluation Corp (SPEC), whichcreates performance benchmarks for servers, has introduceda test suite that is designed to let server buyerscompare and shop on the basis of energy efficiency.While SPEC’s benchmark covers only one kind of serverworkload now, having real, measured data is already seenas a huge step forward.Facebook invades the enterpriseWorkLight, a Web 2.0 application developer, hasdeveloped WorkBook, a Facebook overlay targeted toFacebook users in a corporate environment. WorkBookuses the Facebook application to facilitate corporatecommunications and knowledge-sharing in a secureenvironment. The Facebook application appears alongwith the list of other third-party Facebook applications.But after a user clicks on WorkBook, the organizationknows who the user is and gives the user all of his or heraccess controls and roles.Apple unveils fastest MacsApple has unveiled a retooled Mac Pro desktop machine anda new Xserve server, which it said are the fastest Macintoshesever. Based on the new 45-nanometer quad-core Xeonprocessor from Intel, the top-end Mac Pro also featuresAdvanced Micro Devices’ ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT graphicscard with 256MB of memory standard. It can be equippedwith up to 32GB of RAM and as much as 4TB of internalstorage.34 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

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vider need not invest as much time, effort, andmoney providing original material with whichto capture the audience,” he said. “This allowsa provider to skip own content provisionentirely, or to focus on lower-frequency buthigher-quality content that sits alongside theuser-generated material.”“OutblazeVideo is a full suite of multi-mediacreation, editing and sharing tools offered inone turnkey web-based service, and is idealfor clients who wish to leverage the growingpopularity of social media,” said Outblaze ina statement. “With support for most major imageand video formats, a customizable interface,search capabilities, sharing tools, andmultilevel metadata indexing...the service iscustomized to the look and feel of the client’sbrand and can be easily integrated with othermessaging and communication tools in theOutblaze product suite...OutblazeVideo is operated,maintained, and upgraded by Outblaze,but controlled by the client.”“APICTA is a network of 16 Asian and Australasiancountries and economies whose commongoal is to increase awareness of informatechwatchHong Kong firms score multipleAPICTA 2007 awardsHK-based IT firms lauded for tech efforts ranging from social videoprovisioning to immigration clearance-streamliningBy Stefan HammondThis year APICTA 2007 (the Asia PacificICT Awards 2007) ceremony was heldin Singapore on November 27-29, andhosted by the Singapore Infocomm TechnologyFederation concurrently with the ASO-CIO ICT Summit 2007. Hong Kong’s innovationwas validated by the voting committeeas Hong Kong-based IT firms earned 3 GrandAwards and 2 Merits.APICTA Merit Awards are not typical runnerupprizes—they are awarded only to entries thatscore within 5% of the winner’s total. In all othercases there is only one award per category, so anAPICTA Merit is more significant than just secondplace in most other award schemes.Table 1Grand Award WinnersCategory: e-Community and e-GovernmentName of Winner: Immigration Department,The Government of the HKSARProduct Name: Electronic Passport System (e-PASS)Category:Name of Winner:Product Name:Category:Name of Winner:Product Name:Tools & Infrastructure ApplicationOutblaze LimitedOutblazeVideoMedia & EntertainmentPCCW-HKT Telephone LimitedPCCW “eye”Merit Award WinnersCategory: Tools & Infrastructure ApplicationName of Winner: Team and Concepts LimitedProduct Name: EditGridCategory:Name of Winner:Product Name:General ApplicationsMobigator Technology GroupCardisys, Cardiology ManagementSystemHong Kong, a member economyof APICTA and represented by theHKCS in its Executive Committee,has been an active participant ofAPICTA from 2002, said the HKTDC(Hong Kong’s Trade DevelopmentCouncil) in a statement. Competingentries from Hong Kong, recommendedand coordinated by theHKCS (Hong Kong Computer Society),have consistently won recognitionat this annual event, and for thelast two years Hong Kong has wonmore awards in APICTA than anyother APICTA member economy,said the TDC.This year the HKCS recommended andentered 28 entries for APICTA 2007, mostof which are finalists in the HK ICT Awards2007—the entries competed in 14 of the 15APICTA award categories. Here is a list ofHong Kong’s wins (Table 1).Social video provision“Social media presents a rather attractivebusiness proposition: provide your users withsocial services and let them generate content,traffic, and exposure for you,” said Ibrahim El-Mouelhy, director of marketing and corporatecommunications, Outblaze. “OutblazeVideohas been adding value to Sanriotown (www.sanriotown.com) for well over a year now...we are the official social video providers forHello Kitty, and users seem to be enjoying theservice.”El-Mouelhy added that his firm is also deployingOutblazeVideo for “several other clients,including media companies, publishers,and various consumer services,” but couldn’tmention names due to non-disclosure. “Whenthe users provide the content, the service pro-PCCW’s “eye” device was the Grand Award winner in the Media &Entertainment category36 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

techwatchtion & communication technologies, stimulateICT innovation and creativity, promote economicand trade relations [and] facilitatetechnology transfer,” said El-Mouelhy. “Theiryearly awards are among the most coveted byall manner of IT firms in the Eastern hemisphere.”The PCCW “eye”“Complete with a video call capability, theversatile PCCW eye fixed-line multimedia innovationis the first interactive digital infotainmentand multi-functional service designedfor Hong Kong households,” said PCCW ina statement. The Grand Award winner in theMedia & Entertainment category is describedby PCCW as an “always-on device with a 4.3-inch screen and stereo sound [that] enablesfamily members to make voice or video calls,watch TV, enjoy music, shop from home, paybills and more,” using PCCW’s broadband Internetservice.Besides digital TV, music and other entertainmentand educational options, the device“enables householders to pay bills, select cinemaseats and buy tickets, shop from home andretrieve useful information,” said PCCW.As far as tech specs, the PCCW eye is “aLinux-based broadband phone supporting multimediaapplications [with] a web browser andMPEG-4 media player for supporting multicastand unicast streaming as well as for videophone calls with PCCW eye and PCCW mobile(3G).” PCCW added that “two USB interfacesare provisioned for accessories.”Hong Kong’s “e-channel” is one of the highlights of returningto Hong Kong from a trip abroad...it’s one of those rare techdeployments that seem like magicHong Kong’s e-channel immigration gates: another Grand Award winner for the HKSARJanice AuYeung and Karman Li of the HKCS flankOutblaze’s Ibrahim El-Mouelhy—OutblazeVideo wasthe Grand Award winner in the Tools & InfrastructureApplication categoryAn easy-pass through ImmigrationOutblaze’s El-Mouelhy raved about HongKong’s third Grand Award recipient on his blog:“The winner in the E-Government category wasthe electronic passport system of the Hong KongImmigration Department, which is not surprising:in all my travels I have never come acrosssuch an efficient and pleasant immigration department(and I realize that “efficient” and “pleasant”are not words normally used to describeanything related to immigration procedures).”I agree. Hong Kong’s “e-channel” is oneof the highlights of returning to Hong Kongfrom a trip abroad. Insert your SIM-embeddedHKSAR ID card into a slot, it reads the info,returns it to you and a set of doors open. Youstep forward and press your thumb against abiometric reader that verifies your identity, asecond set of doors open and you’re back inHong Kong. The entire process takes about 90seconds, IF there’s a queue. Normally you’rethrough in less than a minute. It’s one of thoserare tech deployments that seem like magic.APICTA: stiff competition“APICTA veterans from Hong Kong all agreedthat, with the overall quality of APICTA entriesof Hong Kong and other member economiesconsistently improving over the past years,and the significant participation this year ofAustralia which has a strong ICT industry, theAPICTA competition is increasing keener andtougher,” said APICTA in their statement.APICTA said the Hong Kong delegation wasled by Stephen Lau, VP of the HKCS and theelected Chairman of APICTA for 2007-2009,and “supported by our four HK-appointed judges,Mrs Agnes Mak, Professor Jimmy Lee, MrJohn Chiu and Mr Nick Yang, who are all wellrecognized ICT professionals in our community...asin past APICTAs, both the HK governmentand HKTDC have provided significantsupport to this event.”APICTA added that “the HK government, inaddition to providing a financial subsidy forthe event through OGCIO, was amply representedby Mrs Rita Lau, permanent secretaryfor commerce and economic development(communications and technology), and MrStephen Mak, deputy government CIO.” www.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 37

careerwatchCIOs: manage those expectations!Managing the differing levels of user-expectation within anorganization is key for a CIO By Teresa LeungCost-control, business-alignment and ROIincreases are all responsibilities of modern-dayCIOs, but a tougher role thatthese top folks are playing today is “user expectation-manager.”According to Suk-Wah Kwok, CIO of AONHong Kong, IT systems proliferated in the pasttwo decades because of users’ requests for tailor-madetools. “That isn’t the way to go anylonger,” she said. “To strike a balance betweencost-savings and (giving users) functionalities,I believe in giving them a predominantly standardizedIT system that allows some room forcreating minimal tailor-made features for improvingproductivity.”The Blackberry handheld device is a goodexample, Kwok added. “There are differentsmart phones that can send emails,” she said.“But we need to standardize on one platformfor cost-effective support and the benefits ofthe entire company.”AON’s Kwok: Communication with users about ITservices standardization mattersStretch your communication skillsHaving been with AON for almost sevenyears, Kwok said the firm is always undergoingvarious levels of IT service standardization.Sharing with peer CIOs helps update myself about key trendsin enterprise IT strategies— Kwok from AONAppointment newsStuart FisherSybase appoints StuartFisher as A-Pac channelsales headSybase has namedStuart Fisher as head ofchannel sales and alliances, Asia Pacific.Fisher is based in Singapore.Francois LanconFrancois Lancon becomesNortel’s VP, EnterpriseNetworks, AsiaNortel has appointedFrancois Lancon as vicepresident, Enterprise Networks, Asia. TheSingapore-based exec is responsible foraccelerating momentum and driving marketleadership for the company’s enterprisebusiness in the region.What’s key in this process is communicationswith users at different levels.As not all users are the same, the skills requiredto communicate with them differ, saidKwok. “Non-management users care less aboutchanges at the back-end,” she noted. “We justhave to make sure those changes don’t causethem too much inconvenience.”When it comes to business unit heads, Kwokstressed the need to ensure that they understandhow standardized tools still fulfill mostof their needs in a cost-effective manner. Atthe C-level, a CIO must secure support fromthese top folks on issues like budgets for theprovision of IT services. “One of my majortasks is to explain to C-level executives howan IT service standardization strategy benefitsthe company and its shareholders,” she said.Asked if it’s a challenge to get C-level executivesto understand IT as strategically important,Kwok said that’s much easier today.“I have worked with CEOs of different ages,”Kwok said. “The good news is today’s C-levelpeople are younger and grew up using technologyin their daily life.” Kwok believes manyof the CEOs today understand that the IT teamis their strategic partner.She advised that it’s helpful to do peer researchboth locally and globally when bringingabout tech changes in an organization.“I talk with other CIOs to see what they aredoing in their companies,” Kwok said. “And Ilet management and users know what we aredoing is in line with major trends rather thansomething out of the ordinary. That’s a kind of‘keeping up with the Joneses’ mentality.”Communications aside, choosing vendors toprovide standardized systems and services isanother challenge.“For a firm like AON that has offices in multipleAsian markets, it’s difficult to pick costeffectivestandardized products that work wellfor every country,” said Kwok. Telco service isa good example. “A telco that’s strong in someof the Asian markets might not have presencein some others,” said Kwok. “My job is to selectthe better ones and minimize the numberof vendors.”The future of the CIOHaving been in IT for almost two decades,Kwok believes CIOs will remain an importantbut evolving role within an organization. “Myrole has kept expanding and evolving duringmy time at AON,” said Kwok. “I think CIOsworking for companies that embrace internationalizationsee the same trend.”She is as passionate about technology nowas when she was a student studying IT. “Whilemany CIOs’ next career move is to start theirown businesses providing tech products orconsultancy services, I am more interestedin the CIO role within an organization,” saidKwok. “I am also keen to share my knowledgeand experience with young, passionate ITpros. Teaching is definitely an option for mewhen I retire.”38 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

For enquiries, please call Connie Yip at 9407 5454. E-mail: cyip@questexasia.comADVERTISERS INDEXCompany Name Website Page No.Cyberworld (Asia) Ltd www.cyberworld.com.hk 40Data Sphere (HK) Ltd www.datasphere.com.hk 39Hitachi East Asia Ltd www.hitachi.com.cn 40RCG Corporation Ltd www.rcg.tv 41Schmidt & Co (HK) Ltd www.schmidtelectronics.com 39The Chinese University of Hong Kong www.scs.cuhk.edu.hk 41UDS Data Systems Ltd www.udshk.com 41Wing On Engineering Co www.wingoneng.com.hk 39www.cw.com.hkJanuary/February 2008 Computerworld Hong Kong 39

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ackpageChina investors need a Plan COur Beijing-based correspondent reports that Chinese ministries arecutting video-sharing websites out of the Olympics loopBy Robert ClarkThe new rules on online video, unveiledlast December, go straight to the Chinacontradiction: a communist society buttingheads with 21st-century communicationstechnology.Unlike the Soviets—with their abysmal suitsand poor-quality products—the Chinese havetried to create an advanced economy inside theirone-party state.That works when we’re talking low-end factoryproduction requiring large inputs at cheap prices.That’s been the mode of economic developmentin China the past 30 years, as it was in Japan andKorea previously.But to emulate those economies at the topend of the value chain requires a different approach.Misguided schemeSuccess in biotech, IT, media, telecoms andclean energy requires more than cash and awell-furnished laboratory. Those are the areastargeted under the current 11th five-year economicplan under the theme of “independent innovation”—theaim being to reduce dependenceon foreign technology by lavishing state funds onlocal boondoggles.Nothing warms the cockles of a patriotic official’sheart more than the thought of weaning hiscompatriots away from wasteful foreign technology.At mainland conferences and online forums,attendees experience a ritual cursing of those evilforeign licensing fees. Why pay IPR fees to for-In our next issue:• HK datacenter crisis• Data management—backup & restore• Microsoft head of researcheign DVD makers or wireless firmswhen China can make its own?Easer said than done.If you think business innovationled by a communist party’s five-yearplan is a contradiction in terms, youare right. At the Beijing Olympicsthis August—the PRC’s comingoutparty to applaud three decadesof growth—China will achieve thesomewhat implausible feat of notwelcoming visitors with a 3G network.That’s a technology that was availableelsewhere in the world six yearsago. Thanks to the “independentinnovation” program, visitors mustpurchase a handset that connects tothe TD-SCDMA “trial” network. Atthis international celebration of thebrotherhood of humankind, onlyChinese technology is welcome.“Catastrophic”Which brings us back to the Internetvideo regulations. The MII and SARFT (thetelecom and broadcast ministries, respectively)have declared this segment out of bounds to allexcept China state-owned entities, beginningfrom February 1.However, ministry bosses have been astonishedto learn that private enterprises are supportedby investors, some of them foreign. China’stwo largest video-sharing sites, Youku andTudou, have collected more than US$40 millioncash from foreign VCs in the past 12 months.The new rules would have a “catastrophic effect”on the video industry, an analyst told theChina Business News. The paper quoted one VCmanager saying the company had carried out arisk assessment and scenario planning in its duediligence, “but we didn’t anticipate this.”Success inbiotech, IT, media,telecoms and cleanenergy requiresmore than cash anda well-furnishedlaboratoryThis unfriendly reaction createda problem for the bureaucracy, forwhile it is hostile to the menace offoreign technology, it is alert to theuses of foreign cash.State to stateThankfully, the MII and SARFTapparatchiks were ready with a bitof independent innovation of theirown. They are willing to recognizeas “state-controlled” those entitiesthat are merely 51% owned by agovernment enterprise.In this arrangement, a naturalpartner for a budding YouTubemight, say, be a state-owned ISPor media company. By an amazingcoincidence, these are firmsbelonging exclusively to the MIIor SARFT.At this point we see that withgrand plans for “innovation,” politicsand economics blur into eachother. Having created the world’smost complex content filtering system acrossprint, electronic media, film and the Internet, thestate discovers that only it is capable of leadingthe charge into “independent innovation.” Patrioticenterprises owned by these ministries aremore than happy to lend a hand.If you’re not ready to cede control to a governmentbusiness, then too bad. Someone else will.This applies to the always-sensitive content sectorsas well as the “strategic pillars” such as telecom,energy, aerospace and IT.The lesson? Mainland investors need a Plan Cas well as a Plan B. Innovators would do well totake their IPR elsewhere.Robert Clark is a Beijing-based technology journalist.Email him at rclark@commschina.com42 Computerworld Hong Kong January/February 2008 www.cw.com.hk

Hong Kong’s most prestigious IT AwardsComputerworld Hong KongAwards 2008Computerworld Hong Kong 2008 Awards CategoriesHardware• Enterprise Server (50-200 users)• Large Corporate Server (201 users+)• Structured cabling• Datacenter power systems• Datacenter cooling systems• PDA phone / smartphone• Corporate Multifunctional Copier / Printer /ScannerStorage• Backup Storage (Tape)• Backup Storage (Disk)• Enterprise Storage• Large Corporate Storage• Storage Management SoftwareNetworking• Enterprise Switches (50-200 users)• Large Corporate Switches (201 users+)• Enterprise Routers (50-200 users)• Large Corporate Routers (201 users+)• WLAN switch• IP PBX• Network optimizationSecurity• Firewall / VPN• Antivirus / Anti-Spam• Content Filtering / Anti-Spyware• Unified Threat Management (UTM)• Identity Management• Managed Security servicesSoftware• Database Management• Application Server• Systems Management• Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)• Supply Chain Management (SCM)• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)• Document and Content Management• Messaging and Collaboration• Call Center Management• BI and Analytics• Data Mining & OLAP• Development Tools / Web Services• Server OS• Unified CommunicationsServices• Corporate Mobile Services Provider• Data & Telecoms Services Provider• Managed Services• IT Outsourcing• Consulting & Systems IntegrationPLUS:• Hong Kong Technology Companyof the YearWinners to be announced at ComputerworldAwards 2008 Cocktail Ceremony (June)For information, please contactSimon Yeung by email:syeung@questexasia.com