SiTF – Connecting and Engaging YOU

GCIO Luncheon to Bridge the Industry Gap Between infocomm Local Enterprises and Government

Posted May 23rd, 2013 by admin

An annual event called GCIO Luncheon is organized by Singapore infocomm Technology Federation (SiTF) –Singapore Enterprise Chapter (SEC). It aims to bridge the industry gap between infocomm local enterprises (iLEs) and government. It provides a good platform to showcase products and solutions from local companies to government Chief Information Officers (CIOs) .

 

This year, the GCIO Luncheon was held in Grand Coporthone Waterfront Hotel on 23 May 2013 from 12pm to 2pm. Around 110 people from both government and private sector participated in this event. Ms Jacqueline Poh, Managing Director of IDA as the guest-of-honour came down with the other VIPs. They were Mr James Kang, Assistant Chief Executive of IDA, Mr Andrew Khaw, Senior Director Industry Development Group of IDA and Ms Tan Swee Hua, Group Cluster Director, Government Cluster of IDA.

 

They were warmly received by the welcome party consisted of Mr Eddie Chau, Chairman of SiTF, Ms Ho Semun, Executive Director, Mr Lau Shih Hor, SEC Chairman, Mr Steven Lim, SEC Vice Chairman and SEC EXCO members Mr Ang Chong Lai, Ms Sharon Ang, Ms Lee Wah Poh, Ms Mary Lee, Mr V. Ramasubramanian and Mr Gyanendra Kumar.

 

After a short welcome speech by Mr Lau Shih Hor, the tour of exhibition started. Ms Jacqueline Poh and the other VIPs visited each exhibitor’s booth and tried to understand their products and solutions. The participated GCIOs and industry participants had a good opportunity to network and exchanged ideas while enjoying delicious luncheon. Exhibitors took this platform to promote audience on their latest products and solutions.

 

The ten exhibitor companies for GCIO Luncheon 2013 were

1. Advanced Network Technology Laboratories Pte Ltd
2. COMAT Training Services Pte Ltd
3. Data Terminator Pte Ltd
4. EGUARDIAN Pte Ltd
5. Elixir Technology Pte Ltd
6. Inspire-Tech Pte Ltd
7. Jusfeedback Pte Ltd
8. Progreso Networks (S) Pte Ltd
9. Quantine Pte Ltd
10. V-Key Pte Ltd

 

A lot of audience sincerely hoped more GCIOs could join this event next time, because it is such a good channel to create a meaningful conversation between the industry and government.

Tags: Business development, GCIO Luncheon, GCIO Luncheon 2013, SEC, Singapore Enterprise Chapter

Infocomm Leaders Golf Drived Donations

Posted May 23rd, 2013 by admin

22 May 2013: Infocomm Leaders Golf was successful held at Orchid Country Club on 22 May 2013. The rain prior the game made it a cool weather for the golfer to tee-off at 1.30pm.

 

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and information was the Guest-of-Honour.

To make golf a more meaningful event, various donation drive activities in support of Kidney Dialysis Foundation (SAVH) and Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) under National ICT Industry Volunteers’ Day 2013 were conducted. SAVH has sent Mobile Massage team to provide power up and wind down massage.

Majority of the golfers attended the evening dinner. During the pre-cocktail session, our cocktail sponsor, Dell had showcased their latest products to the dinner guests. Dr Yaacob had support the charity drive call by allowing guests to take photo with him at a price.

Class 95 DJ Yasmine was the emcee for the night. Under her sweet voice and the support of the guests, the Charity Auction conducted the night managed to raise more than $12,000. A big thank you to the kind donors.

Congratulation to the following winners of Infocomm Leaders Golf Tournment:

Nearest the Pin

Ang Chek Yang

James Chia

Chua Hock Leng

Nearest the Line

Lim Soi Yeong

Felix Lim

Christoph Theisinger

Trophy Winners

Dendro Course, Winner – Vincent Loh Teck Seng

Dendro Course, 1^st Runner Up – Wong Hwee Lim

Dendro Course, 2^nd Runner Up – Peter Goh

Vanda Course, Winner – Steward Tay

Vanda Course, 1^st Runner Up – Raphael Foo

Vanda Course, 2^nd Runner Up – Vincent Low

Aranda Course, Winner – Loh Teck Heng

Aranda Course, 1^st Runner Up – Jean Chan

Aranda Course, 2^nd Runner Up – Herbie Leung

Overall Tournament Winner – Vincent Teo

SiTF would like to thank the golf co-organising Chairmen, Mr Ng Tian Beng (SiTF Hon. Secretary) and Mr Wong Wai Beng (SiTF Councillor) for their time and effort in arranging for this tournament.

SiTF would also like to thank all sponsors and supporting organizing for making this event a success.

Strategy Sponsor

StarHub

Cocktail Sponsor

Dell Global

Premium Sponsor

Opus IT

Hole Sponsors

BT Global Solutions

EMC

Keppel T&T

NCS

PTC Data Management

Zensar

Prize Sponsor

Lenovo

Supporting Orgnisation

IDA

And of course, a big thank to Infocomm Leaders Golf 2013 participants.

Please click here to view Photograph for the day time at SiTF Facebook (sitfsocial)

SEC Manpower Initial: International Resource Network Workshop

Posted May 15th, 2013 by admin

In light of the focus on productivity and trends in the tightening of labour, International Resource Network (IRN) Workshop was held as a first step to provide companies an alternative access to additional foreign-based manpower resources. Together with Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), SiTF organized the IRN workshop to assist local infocomm enterprises (iLES) to tap on outsourcing opportunities provided by IRN companies.

 

This workshop was held on May 14 at Mapletree Business Centre. Nearly 100 people registered this event and 12 IRN companies filed from India, China, Vietnam and Myanmar to Singapore in order to better understand Singapore market.

 

In SEC Chairman Mr Lau Shih Hor’s welcome speech, he shared the survey poll on manpower issues in Singapore ICT industry and also indicated SEC’s initiative to let the voice of iLES be heard by government through event like Ministerial Dialogue in December 2012. He indicated major obstacles when outsourcing business among iLES were culture, language, management, finance and etc.

 

More insights were shared with audience through a panel discussion consisted of academia, industry players and government agency. Dr Kwong Yuk Wah, CIO of NTUC and Adjunct Associate Professor, NUS advised focusing on core business was the primary driver. She explained delivery models between onshore and offshore and shared services centre.

 

Mr Low Chin Chau, CTO of Ufinity and Mr Charles Goh, CEO of InspireTech demonstrated how their companies successfully engaged offshore companies and experience gained through years as veterans in this field. At government level, Mr Andrew Khaw, Senior Director, Industry Development, IDA highlighted the governmental direction in this field. Audience showed strong interests to seek advice from panel speakers. Questions didn’t only come from iLES but also IRN companies to find out how to leverage on governmental support when outsourcing and the best market practice to enter local market.

 

After the panel discussion, each IRN company was given 5 minutes to describe their business. In the networking session, IRN companies were surrounded by iLES who are keen to know or partner with IRN companies. A list of IRN companies participated in the workshop is as follows:
India – MindTree
India – Zensar Technologies
India – Web Synergies
India – Compassites
India – Chimera Technologies
China – Movitech
China – Pactera
China – Beyondsoft
Vietnam – CMC Software
Vietnam – Vietsoftware International
Myanmar – Myanma Computer Company
Myanmar – Myanmar Information Technology (MIT)

IRN Workshop is just one of the SEC initiatives to help iLES develop business and overcome manpower constraint. There will be more interesting activities coming up soon. Do take a close look at SEC or join SEC to be part of the small community.

 

 

Tags: International Resource Network Workshop, IRN Workshop, SEC

EnterpriseIT2013 to Highlight Latest Technology for Various Vertical Sectors

Posted May 10th, 2013 by admin

There is no other combination of events of this size worldwide where the ICT, broadcasting, pro-audio, film and TV industries come together in one city during the same week. EnterpriseIT, held concurrently with CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia – Asia’s largest and most established information and communications technology (ICT) and media communications events – returns this year from 18 – 21 June at the Marina Bay Sands Singapore. More than 50,000 industry attendees hailing from across the globe came to the 2012 edition.

Close to 2,000 exhibitors are participating at the events this year, with debut exhibitors making up 10 per cent of the total.

EnterpriseIT2013 – Enterprising Solutions, Enabling Businesses

Themed “Enterprising Solutions, Enabling Businesses”, EnterpriseIT2013 will feature a complete range of the latest technology solutions that will enable Singapore enterprises from different vertical industries such as Banking & Finance, Education, Government, Healthcare, Retail and others, to create a competitive edge with IT. Visitors can expect a multitude of technologies ranging from Cloud Computing and Security, e-Government and Services, Enterprise Mobility Solutions, Telehealth and Mobile Commerce on display.

Together with CommunicAsia2013, EnterpriseIT2013 will showcase five specialised techzones – ‘Fibre for NextGen Services’, ‘APPSmart’, ‘NextGen Connected Services’, Smart Enterprise’ and ‘eGov’. New techzones at EnterpriseIT include ‘NextGen Connected Services’ and ‘Smart Enterprise’ and will feature the latest services and technologies ranging from IPTV solutions, OTT, Telehealth to Cloud services, Enterprise Mobility solutions and M2M.

‘Fibre’ for NextGen Services Techzone

Back by popular demand, the ‘Fibre’ for NextGen Services Techzone will showcase the latest fibre access technologies and fibre optics equipment, highlighting the boundless innovation of NextGen services across different industries

APPSmart Techzone NEW!

At this new Techzone, created in response to the flourishing smartphone market, visitors will be able to witness the latest technology innovations from the fast-paced apps industry

NextGen Connected Services Techzone NEW!

This new Techzone will showcase the latest services/technologies in content security management, set-top boxes, IPTV solutions, Content Delivery Network, OTT, Telepresence and Telehealth

Smart Enterprise Techzone NEW!

This new dedicated techzone is catered for enterprises to help streamline their businesses, and will feature the latest technologies pertaining to Enterprise Mobility solutions, Enterprise Applications, Cloud Services, Security, Data Centre / Storage / Hosting Services and M2M

eGov

At the ‘eGov’ techzone, visitors can expect a myriad of e-Government solutions and case studies from various government agencies. EnterpriseIT exhibitors will also be highlighting mobile apps and services in the new APPSmart techzone.

Key leading exhibitors include AVer, ESET, Huawei, NCS, Softlayer, ST Electronics and TGS amongst others. 20 international group pavilions will be present, alongside the steller exhibitor line-up, from Australia, Brunei, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia Israel, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, UK, USA, and one new group entrant from Hungary.

In addition, the CommunicAsia2013 Summit will have dedicated conference tracks on topics such as Mobile Services, Enterprise Mobility, CDN and M2M that will benefit enterprises. With eight key tracks – each track kicks off with a panel discussion – and two interactive workshops, the four-day programme will highlight importance of understanding the customer so that businesses can be prepared to deliver a superior experience. More than 200 speakers will be sharing their views and discussing critical issues affecting the ICT industry.

For show updates, please visit www.CommunicAsia.com, www.goto-EnterpriseIT.com and www.Broadcast-Asia.com.

 

Check out the Findings on Dispute Resolution in Technology Transactions By WIPO

Posted May 7th, 2013 by admin

May Edition:  IP may assist companies in the ICT industry in almost every aspect of their business development and competitive strategy: from product development to product design, from service delivery to marketing, and from raising financial resources to exporting or expanding their business abroad through licensing or franchising. Regardless of what product an ICT enterprise makes or what service it provides, it is likely that it is regularly using and creating IP. SiTF members will therefore want to systematically consider the steps required for protecting, managing and enforcing their IP rights.

 

This series offers WIPO information about IP for the ICT industry.

Results of the WIPO International Survey on Dispute Resolution in Technology Transactions
The WIPO Center designed the International Survey on Dispute Resolution in Technology Transactions to assess the current use in technology-related disputes of ADR methods as compared to court litigation, including a qualitative evaluation of these dispute resolution options.

The results of this Survey provide a statistical basis to identify trends in the resolution of technology related disputes. Best practices emerge from the Survey which may help guide IP and IT stakeholders in their dispute resolution strategies and this Report concludes with a number of observations relevant to such strategies. Click here to read more.

 

3-D printing and the future of stuff
Have you ever searched for a lamp but just couldn’t find the right one, or had to wait months for a spare part for a household device that is no longer produced? These frustrations could soon be a thing of the past. High performance 3-D printing or additive manufacturing technologies, first developed in laboratories some 30 years ago, are now available for consumers. One of the most exciting innovations to emerge in recent times, 3-D printing offers the realistic possibility that anyone, anywhere in the world can produce any object they need on demand. For some, 3-D printing marks the “democratization” of manufacturing, a new age of mass personalization that promises to boost innovation, foster more efficient use of resources and transform the way things are produced. Some have gone so far as to characterize it as the “Third Industrial Revolution”. This article considers the technology’s expanding range of applications and its huge innovation potential. It also reflects on why it is that IP policymakers need to watch this space. Click here to read more.

 

Protecting broadcasters in the digital era
The massive ongoing conversion to digital transmission of programs and content is creating countless opportunities for efficient and cost-effective delivery of high-quality content and for interoperability with other electronic media. In the digital environment, however, broadcasters are facing a severe problem of signal piracy. In view of these and other challenges arising from the evolution of broadcasting, WIPO’s member states are working to develop an updated international legal framework that addresses present-day operating realities. This interview with Ingrid Deltenre, Director-General of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) offers a broadcaster’s perspective on the issue. Click here to read more.

 

SiTF and WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center Collaboration:

SiTF and the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center (WIPO Center) have established acollaboration to raise awareness of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) options to court litigation available to ICT vendors, their partners and customers. The WIPO Center is part of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an intergovernmental organization with 185 member states, including Singapore.

Benefits for SiTF Members

• Reduced WIPO Mediation / (Expedited) Arbitration rates
• Access to training programs
• Direct information about the WIPO Center’s procedures

 

Further Information on the WIPO Center:

• WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center
• WIPO Alternative Dispute Resolution Services for the ICT Industry
• Recommended WIPO Contract Clauses and Submission Agreements

 

WIPO Materials on IP Management:

• IP for Business

A practical publication addressing topics related to the protection and commercialization of IP assets for business success.

• IP PANORAMA

A handful e-learning tool designed to help SMEs utilize and manage IP in their business strategy.

 

Contact:

Mr. Leandro Toscano

WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center Office in Singapore

Maxwell Chambers

32 Maxwell Road #02-02

Singapore 069115

T +65 6225 2129

F +65 6225 3568

E arbiter.mail@wipo.int

W www.wipo.int/amc

 

ICT Industry Gathering: Meet-The-Members Session

Posted May 6th, 2013 by admin

5 May 2013: SiTF  held its bi-annual Meet-The-Member event at Microsoft Office. Almost 70 members and friends attended the event where they received the latest update on  SiTF initiatives and activities lined up in the coming months.

In this MTM session, Mr Jan Chipchase, Executive Creative Director of Global Insights of Frog Design was invited to share on “Hidden in Plain Sight” on  best approaches to study people and their habits, uncover insights and help businesses to see—and capitalize upon—what is hidden in plain sight today to create innovation tomorrow.

Members and friends also took the opportunity to mingle and connect with new partners and make new friends.

To view  event photo album, please visit www.facebook.com/sitfsocial

Tags: Meet the Member

SGC Network Event with ITMA @ Brewerkz,Riverside Point.

Posted May 3rd, 2013 by admin

May 3rd, 2013

Organised by the Security & Governance Chapter (SGC) of the Singapore Information Technology Federation (SITF), this is an exclusive by-invitation-only event where SGC members will get to network with members of ITMA. Further talks by professional speakers would allow participants to gain insights on IT risk management as well as the upcoming Personal Data Protection Act.

NICF-IGNITE: A Scheme That Complements Your Hiring Needs

Posted April 27th, 2013 by admin

WHAT IS IT?

National Infocomm Competency Framework (NICF) - IGNITE (Immerse, Grow, Navigate in Infocomm Technology with Eloquence)is an apprenticeship scheme for:

1.       Career-switches/unemployed PMETs who want to convert into ICT jobs.

2.       Existing ICT professionals who want to switch careers into new ICT subsectors

The scheme consists of two components – the mandatory NICF training programme and an on-the-job training component. The total duration of the apprenticeship programme can last between three and twelve months. Apprentices will be involved in hands-on work and receive on-the-job training under the supervision of qualified and skilled staff.

WHO CAN APPLY?

For the Employer: Companies seeking an alternate pathway to resolve hiring needs.

For the Individuals: Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

For the Individual

Upon completion of the training, apprentices will need to sit for assessment and achieve at least three nationally recognised certificates in the form of NICF / Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) and Statement of Attainments (SOAs).

Apprentices are required to complete the programme and serve a bond period corresponding to the duration of the programme.

For the Employer

The employer co-pays at least 30% of the apprentice’s salary, while WDA supports up to 70% of the training allowance, capped at $1,400 per month.

Employers are required to retain the apprentices in the company for the same duration as the apprenticeship period. Employers must also commit to either salary increment or opportunity for job advancement for the apprentice after the apprenticeship.

CONTACT DETAILS

Please email nicf@wda.gov.sg for further discussions.

Sunny Side-Up Saturday – Termsheet and Funding Agreement 101

Posted April 20th, 2013 by admin

Sunny Side-Up Saturday is a series of event under the 123JumpStart. The series aim to bring like-minded entrepreneurs together to exchange ideas and share experiences with each other. Distinguish guests join each session, sharing their thoughts and experiences and interacting with the aspiring entrepreneurs.

This installment of Sunny Side-Up Saturday with Nick Ong kicked off with around 25 people joining us on a Saturday morning for a session of interactions over a sumptuous breakfast spread of sandwiches, cakes and of course the necessary dose of caffeine.

Nick is a partner from Robert Wang &  Woo LLP with years of experience in practice, making him an ideal candidate to share with our startups on topic of termsheets and funding agreements. Nick started off the session sharing on termsheets, what they are, why you need them and how to go about crafting them. One key point that Nick highlighted to the startups was to keep your termsheets non-binding due to the highly versatile nature of startups. The next topic covered was on shareholder agreement, followed by the funding agreement before Nick moved on to share with startups several pointers on how they can protect themselves in these agreements.

Questions came in from the floor as Nick went through his talk with the startups curious to find out more about a topic that is very close to their business. This added a dimension of interactivity that made the session more enriching. It was also encouraging to see the startups exchanging advise with each other on top of getting advice from Nick alone.

The session ended but the networking continued with founders and participants refueling themselves on food while chatting with each other and of course with our guest speaker Nick. Overall we had a really fun and engaging session and really enjoyed interacting with the startups.

Thank you to all those who have came down to join us. Hope to see you guys again for our next session.

 

 

Investing in Hope and Faith…

Posted April 19th, 2013 by admin

Who are the groups of people that come to mind when it comes to investment in a business? The 3Fs.  Namely, family, friends and fools. Family and friends are the largest contributors to entrepreneurs and startups, followed by angel investments.

The 123JumpStart team regularly work with our panel of investors and mentors.  We got to know more about the mind set of angel investors through Dr Virginia Cha, an active researcher, educator, mentor, and angel investor in Singapore’s entrepreneur ecosystem. After spending 32 years of executive management in technology companies, with previous roles as founder and CEO of venture-funded, hi-tech companies in Singapore and China with successful exits on NASDAQ and HKSE, Virginia decided to move into the space of angel investing.  In 2012, Virginia had invested in 4 startups, all of which are in the IT space.

We started off by asking Virginia on what prompted her to strike out as an angel investor and she said that it was a way for her to engage with and engage in Singapore’s innovation and entrepreneur ecosystem.  “It is also the best way to keep in touch with technology – because as an investor, I have ‘skin in the game’, it makes me much more aware on how technology influences business and society.”

One of her most remarkable statements to us is that as an angel investor, she invests in ‘hope and faith’. Hope in the innovation’s value and faith in the entrepreneur.  Because angel investing is extremely high risk, it makes no sense to take a huge risk on a small idea and it is better to look for big ideas, and to place that bet on people you can have faith in.

Recounting her investment experiences, Virginia recalled that some time back, she invested in a U.S.-based bio-tech startup which went bust and the founder was very apologetic. She told him not to worry about it – it’s the nature of investing in big ideas.   They then went on their separate ways.  A few years later out of the blue, the founder contacted her again to let her know that he joined another startup as a CTO and wanted to send her $20 worth of his stock options because it was his way of appeasing his guilt for losing all her invested capital.    Fast forward several years later, the $20 became close to 6-digits in value after the company IPOed in the US stock market, recovering all her initial investment plus some.  Moral of the story?  Even if the idea goes bust, faith in the right individual is a safe bet.

Virginia feels that one big takeaway for startups today is not to fall in love with your idea too early.  You become rigid and less flexible and would resist pivoting if the idea is not generating the growth you had envisioned. While this sounds obvious, in practice it is very difficult as you have human psychology at work. On the one hand, being an entrepreneur means you have a high level of self-efficacy and an extreme commitment to overcome obstacles.  So, when does one say, ‘I will overcome all odds and make this work’ versus ‘Hey – this prodding along isn’t work.  Let’s rethink this?’

Concluding with one short advice to the startups- you’re not there yet.   You have only one goal at this stage – see if your experiment works.  Then, and only then, you can think about putting together a business plan and raising the institutional round for executing that plan.