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During my visits to government ministries and agencies in Putrajaya, I often asked them about cloud computing. “Are you ready for cloud computing? Do you plan for cloud transitions in your RMK10 budget?”

Whether our government is ready or not, cloud usage has been transforming at the local commercial segment aggressively. Some of the local IT hub players like Jaring has seen this as the future for data provisioning. Jaring has launched the industry first cloud computing for public sector market last April. Jaring believes with their attractive grid offering, they expect more agencies will take the first step in moving towards the cloud.

While moving to the cloud creates security uncertainty, Trend Micro has step up and gave prominent assurance that government needs them when they plan to make the move. Partnering cleverly with VMware, the leader in virtualization technology, VMware enables the cloud transformation magic with cost cutting benefits.

Clearly with these 2 giants walking hand in hand together, they are giving confidence for government to think on moving to the cloud. The government decision to move depends on how fast and aggressive Trend Micro and VMware can educate the government to switch!

eimir Government cloud, Government, jaring, Malaysia, Trend Micro, vmware

Hackers are getting one step ahead of the universities here in Malaysia. Today, there are reports stating that student’s online application for public university has been tampered.
What got worst, it seems like it was an insider job, but no one can be blamed. I blame the weak online application system that stores all the students’ data.

Certainly, Trend Micro Web Application Security(WAS) can take care of this issue.

Taken from www.thestar.com.my
Saturday March 14, 2009
Students’ online application for public varsity tampered with

GOPENG: Three university hopefuls were shocked to find their online applications to public universities tampered with.

The former SMK Seri Teja students, who had just received their STPM results on Thursday, had all their eight choices filled with Islamic Studies.

To make matters worse, they were unable to amend the changes.

Chow Hon Mun, 21, said they could only make changes to the details on the online application website three times.

“I panicked when I could not make any changes and told my teachers about it,” said Chow when met at the Gopeng MCA service centre yesterday.

“My teachers then advised me to lodge a police report,” he said, adding that his first choice was engineering and that he had no intention of taking up Islamic Studies.

Chow added that recently he and his two friends had also received SMSes from an unidentified person who admitted to making the changes to their applications.

“I initially thought it was a prank but soon realised the person was telling the truth,” he said, adding that he was puzzled that the person had managed to procure confidential information about him and his two friends.

The other two victims were Chai Yick Loong, 21, and Ang Chun Heng, 20.

Chai said he wanted to take up an engineering course, and hoped the Higher Education Ministry could help them with their predicament.

Ang said he wanted to change the list back to his primary choices before the public university acceptance application ends on March 23.

“I hope the relevant authorities will upgrade the security system on the website so that it won’t be so easily hacked by people,” he added.

Gopeng MCA division chief Albert Chang said he would refer the matter to Deputy Higher Education Minister Dr Hou Kok Chung.

“We will help them gather all their result slips, application forms and official school letters and send the documents to Dr Hou through our education bureau,” said Chang.

He urged all public university hopefuls to check their online applications to ensure their forms were not tampered with.

eimir Education Government, security, Trend Micro, university

This announcement translates into more opportunities to be created and impose healthy tender process, suitable for Malaysia Government to spend 1st and 2nd Stimulus package effectively.

See article below taken from NST, February 25, 2009.

Faster contract bid system, minus tender

KUALA LUMPUR: The government is implementing a system for contractors to quote a price for government jobs worth RM500,000 and below, doing away with the time-consuming tender process.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said all projects that fall within the cost range would be awarded based on the quotations offered by contractors.

“This is to speed up implementation of government projects,” he said after the monthly Economic Planning Unit meeting.

eimir Government Government, Malaysia, Najib, tender