Tag Archives: MDeC

Ammobox : How Malaysia Can Take Game Dev Further!

Jeremy Choo, founder and CEO of Ammobox, shares how far Malaysia has progressed in game development, and how it can take the serious business of making great games to the next level!

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About Jeremy Choo From Ammobox Studios

Jeremy Choo is not only the founder and CEO of Ammobox, he is one of Malaysia’s top game developers and a former lecturer on game development.

Established in 2008, Ammobox Studios is an independent game development studio based in Malaysia. Ammobox is responsible for developing the genre-breaking FPS/RTS hybrid game called EXIMIUS: Seize the Frontline.

With years of experience both in developing games, and cultivating new game developers, Jeremy Choo certainly knows what it would take for Malaysia to become a world-class nexus for game development.

In the following article, Jeremy will tell us how Malaysia’s game development has levelled up, and how we can take it further!

Recommended : Latest List of FREE Steam Games + DLCs!

 

Ammobox : How Malaysia Can Take Game Dev Further!

We’ve all been there — the game nights with friends where we gather around the TV, wrestle over a game, and inevitably choose the evergreen classics that everyone used to play. The starter Pokemon of our gaming experiences, you could say.

There is something inherently nostalgic about the early days of gaming, back when things were very much simpler. Graphics quality, gameplay experience, even options for customisation; very few of us could even imagine we would’ve made such leaps and bounds in the couple of decades since the founding days of pixelated console gaming.

In conversations about the growth of the gaming industry at large, it’s all too easy for us to slip into discussions about the software, the devices, the technology that makes it at all possible for people to now even carry immersive, imaginary worlds in their pockets. But I’ve always believed that while technology will always be the medium that brings games to the masses, tech doesn’t power itself.

The indispensable beating heart of the gaming industry is the right talent to understand, complement, and drive the rapidly advancing technology that exists.

This is arguably one of the main reasons why the Malaysian game development scene was slow to boot up — and not for any scarcity of talent, but rather a lack of general support and understanding for working in gaming as professionals.

When I first founded Ammobox, the core challenge I faced wasn’t navigating the tech requirements, but rather hiring the right artists, engineers, and programmers to make use of that very technology. The homegrown gaming scene at the time was largely comprised of outsourced stragglers and all-purpose studios that did not necessarily specialise in games. This made developing local IPs (shorthand for intellectual property, or the entire premise and ownership rights to a game’s content) especially challenging.

Funding was a whole other nemesis in itself. Most fledgling game developers wound up having to bootstrap their projects, which meant working on a project long-term with expected delays and keeping afloat on the bare minimum of time, resources, and abilities. It wasn’t uncommon for full working versions of games to be released an entire decade after its IP was developed!

Perception fed into this problem, and the difficulty in creating Malaysian IPs has led to a vicious cycle that dogs the industry to this day. By ‘perception’, I don’t necessarily mean the snide “so you play video games for work?” comments — it’s also the impression that because Malaysia didn’t have as many IPs to its name as some of our neighbouring countries, investors were hesitant to fund an industry that might not turn out to be lucrative.

Today, the gaming market is projected to reach US$200 billion in value by 2028, and Malaysia is in a great position to benefit from this rich landscape of possibilities if we can rise to the occasion.

Gaming studios and developers are now more commonplace here. Larger talent pools have also mushroomed across the country as more young Malaysians turn to making their hobby their professional craft, and especially as local universities have begun opening up game development courses.

Our current challenge has thus evolved: it has gone beyond identifying and developing that talent, to now ensuring that we keep that talent here at home.

To do that, stakeholders both from within the gaming industry and outside in its many interconnected fields need to join forces, to help Malaysia’s game development scene catch up to where it really should and can be. Digital infrastructure like Internet speeds and geographical connectivity need to reach the heights of our regional peers (making for lower ping in games and an overall smoother experience for consumers).

As for funding campaigns, which have been made easier due to the work of organisations like the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), investments are more likely to be made if the industry itself demonstrates that it is equipped for and capable of success. It is inherently a cycle: we have to first grow the industry and our IPs in order to grow our talents. We need to become those greener pastures that game development talents are seeking.

More employment opportunities, more participation in a globally competitive industry, more potential international investments and projects, more ways to showcase Malaysian talent to the world — the potential economic and cultural benefits that come from a thriving gaming industry are thrilling to imagine.

I genuinely believe that Malaysia, the diverse underdogs that we are, has a unique opportunity to take the global gaming industry by surprise with the local twist in our game titles and IPs. We already have the talent and the know-how! All we need is that little buff — so that we can graduate from mid-game to play in the big leagues.

 

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Double Eleven : First Overseas Game Studio In Malaysia!

UK-based games developer and publisher Double Eleven announced on 21 January 2020, that they are opening a new game development studio in Malaysia!

Find out what this means for the Malaysian game development industry, and how YOU can join the Double Eleven team!

 

Double Eleven To Open First Overseas Game Studio In Malaysia!

Double Eleven is opening their first overseas game studio in Bangsar South, Kuala Lumpur. Set to open in the first quarter of 2020, this new studio will provide a full complement of development capabilities including quality assurance, art, software engineering and production.

The Double Eleven Malaysia studio will work alongside main development teams in the United Kingdom on current and next generation titles.

 

Join The Double Eleven Team!

Double Eleven is recruiting full-time staff in development and management positions, including a new Malaysian Studio Head. Here are the jobs currently open for application, and their requirements :

Studio Manager

  • Four or more years of industry experience in a similar role
  • Significant management (people and project) experience
  • An interest in games.
  • Strong general knowledge of the video game production process – ideally a comprehensive end-to-end oversight from within the industry
  • Gamer and consumer oriented, with a deep knowledge of video games market
  • Relevant business degree
  • Experience with SCRUM or AGILE methodologies

Producer

  • Project management skills – initiating, managing and closing software projects.
  • Ability to mediate and arbitrate discussions, getting the right people in the room when needed.
  • Excellent communicator in both content and tone through a variety of methods; online, face to face, presentation or written.
  • Meticulous attention to detail and good organisational skills.
  • Ability to motivate and able to lead by example.
  • Excellent time management, multitasking skills and the ability to process complex information efficiently.
  • A strong interest in games or gaming technologies.
  • Business management experience.
  • Relevant degree qualification.
  • Programming or other technical experience.
  • Strong general knowledge of the video game production process – ideally a comprehensive end-to-end oversight from within the industry.
  • Experience working on titles or projects with live operations.
  • Experience with SCRUM or AGILE methodologies.

Lead Quality Assurance

  • Confident, thorough and articulate communicator; both written and orally
  • Great planning skills
  • Excellent self-management and organisational abilities
  • Second to none for attention to detail
  • Genuine problem solver; no problems, just opportunities
  • Ability to work as part of your own team
  • Has lead or helped to lead a QA team of at least four people, for at least one year from start to finish
  • Has had QA experience on at least 3 console titles
  • Has written and implemented test frameworks

QA Tester

  • Excellent attention to detail
  • Strong communication skills
  • Excellent self-management and organisational abilities
  • Aptitude to learn quickly and effectively
  • Ability to remain focused in a team-oriented environment
  • Previous Testing experience within a development environment
  • Skill/experience in any other area of game development and/or strong IT knowledge
  • Knowledge of project management software such as Hansoft, Testrail, Jira, TFS.

Lead Artist

  • Unreal / Unity experience / Blueprints / Python / C#
  • Animation knowledge
  • UI experience
  • ZBrush or other sculpting software experience
  • Shader creation (Substance designer/shader forge etc)
  • Degree level / HND or Art related qualification
  • A portfolio that demonstrates the potential to meet the industry-standard level of art.
  • 6+ years of industry experience and previous Senior or lead roles. Having completed a full production cycle on a published game title.

3D Animator

  • Knowledge of Autodesk Maya
  • Strong Knowledge of game engines (Unity /Unreal).
  • Scripting / blueprints
  • Experience with Motion Builder
  • Degree level / HND or art-related qualification
  • An animation showreel that demonstrates a strong understanding of animation principals and character acting
  • 3+ year industry experience

3D Graduate Artist

  • Exceptional 3D Modelling and Texture creation skills
  • Experience with: 3DMax, Maya, or equivalent, (Maya preferred)
  • Experienced with Photoshop
  • Experience on multiple games and ability to work across varied art styles.
  • Experience with popular game engines, preferably Unity / Unreal.
  • Experience with shaders and real-time rendering pipelines.
  • PBR workflow experience (Substance Painter / Designer)
  • Other visual art skills, e.g. illustration, graphic design, VFX
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills allowing effective collaboration with teams
  • Strong organizational, problem-solving and time management skills
  • Strong observation and research skills
  • Strong knowledge of the video game industry and awareness of the video game development processes
  • Unreal / Unity experience / Blueprints
  • Animation knowledge
  • Zbrush or other sculpting software experience
  • Shader creation (Substance designer/shader forge etc)

 

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Cobnb STRMS Wins APICTA 2019 Startup Award!

On 27 December 2019, Cobnb STRMS bagged the APICTA 2019 Startup Award! Here is a quick primer on the APICTA Awards, and Cobnb STRMS!

 

Cobnb STRMS Wins APICTA 2019 Startup Award!

Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and the National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) conferred the APICTA Start-up of the Year 2019 Award to Malaysian-based startup, Cobnb, at the APICTA 2019 Awards held in Halong Bay, Vietnam.

Cobnb is a Short-Term Accommodation (STA) and property management company offering leasing and short-term management solutions. It was their Short Term Rental Management System (STRMS) that bagged the top award amongst 15 other contestants from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, China, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Cobnb was incorporated in 2017 to optimise the property performance of their customers, leveraging workflow automation, pricing, and financial analytics.

They currently manage more than 500 properties, and their clientele includes private property owners, property developers, hotels and resort villas.

 

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Sony Interactive To Open First SEA Game Studio In Malaysia!

Sony Interactive will soon open their first Southeast Asia game development studio in Malaysia! Here are the full details!

 

Sony Interactive To Open First SEA Game Studio In Malaysia!

Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios (SIE WWS) announced their partnership with the Malaysian Ministry of Communications and Multimedia, at Level Up KL 2019 Biz.

The new game development studio, which Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios plans to open 2020, will provide art and animation services for the development of global titles for Sony PlayStation platforms.

Sony Interactive Entertainment Worldwide Studios will also work with the Malaysian Ministry of Communications and Multimedia to create more opportunities for the local and regional games industry, as well as establish a partnership with local educational institutions.

This is a major win for the Malaysian Ministry of Communications and Multimedia that have been actively pushing to build up Malaysia as the premier digital creative content development hub in Southeast Asia.

Over the past 20 years, their efforts have created a strong local digital creative content industry with 149 IP titles that generated RM 7.6 billion (US$1.84 billion) in revenue, and a global reach to over 120 countries.

 

Recent Sony Interactive Games

Here are some of the best games Sony Interactive released for Sony PlayStation in 2019 :

 

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Level Up KL 2019 Biz + Play : Full Details Revealed!

Level Up KL 2019 is right around the corner! The premier gaming development conference in the APAC region will take place from 2-10 November 2019.

This time though, it is so large, it’s being split into two parts – Level Up KL Biz, and Level Up KL Play! Here is EVERYTHING you need to know!

 

Level Up KL 2019

In its fifth iteration, Level Up KL 2019 has greatly expanded since last year. It is now a week-long conference, split into two parts – Level Up KL Biz and Level Up KL Play.

And for the first time ever, Level Up KL 2019 will feature events that will cater to both game developers and gamers.

Level Up KL Biz 2019

Event Period : 2 – 8 November 2019
Target Participants : Game developers and industry leaders
Location : Bangsar South

Level Up KL Biz continues the Level Up KL tradition of bringing regional game developers and industry leaders together to interact, learn and share knowledge.

This year, Level Up KL Biz will feature key announcements from local and international game developers, expert workshops and talks, business connections and more!

The exhibition and showcase are free to visit, but make sure you register for the Expo Visitor Pass!

To attend the expert workshops, you will need to purchase the Masterclass Workshops ticket for just USD 50.

You can check out the schedule and ticket prices here.

Level Up KL Play 2019

Event Period : 9 – 10 November 2019
Target Participants : Gamers and the general public
Location : Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

The inaugural Level Up KL Play event aims to become Malaysia’s ultimate game conference for the general public.

This two-day game festival will feature game demos of soon-to-launch AAA and indie titles for both PC and console, esports tournaments, a video game concert, meet-and-greet activities, and more!

You can purchase the Early Bird tickets now at just RM 20 for both days. If you just want to attend a single day, you can show up and purchase the event day ticket on-site for RM 10.

 

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Microsoft Malaysia Rated Top 10 Tech Employer In 2018!

Microsoft Malaysia was just announced as a top 10 tech employer in the 2018 Graduates Choice Award! Here are the full details!

 

Microsoft Malaysia Rated Top 10 Tech Employer In 2018

Microsoft Malaysia was just ranked as a top 10 tech employer in the 2018 Graduates Choice Award.

Organised by HRINCAMPUS and supported by various University Board Members such as Taylor’s University, Sunway University and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, the 2018 Graduates Choice Award features more than 360 nominees in total, as nominated by Universities nationwide.

The award also received the support of the Ministry of Education, MDEC and Career Development Centre Club Malaysia (CDCC).

Undergraduates from across Malaysia were then given the opportunity to vote for their favorite graduate employer brands. With 10 winners per contesting category, and 10 contesting categories in total, only 100 brands emerged at the top and were declared as the recipients of the Graduates Choice Award.

 

Microsoft Malaysia’s Record As A Tech Employer

With over 44 years of experience in the industry and 25 years in Malaysia, Microsoft Malaysia has long invested in the development of talent in Malaysia, with education-linked initiatives as one of its top priorities.

Events such as the Imagine Cup, which was hosted in Kuala Lumpur in April this year, provides an avenue for Microsoft to reach out to students who are keen to dive deeper into the tech industry.

Microsoft has also partnered with educational institutions, as well as the Malaysian Ministry of Youth and Sports for the introduction of Digital ILKBS and the Ministry of Education to launch the STEM4ALL campaign.

These initiatives allow students to witness the work that is being done by Microsoft in Malaysia, inspiring them to join the company upon graduation.

The work culture in Microsoft has also evolved over the years, providing its employees with an inclusive and diverse work environment.

 

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Industrial Revolution 4.0 – Turbocharging Malaysia’s Journey!

YES sponsored an expert panel discussion on turbocharging Malaysia’s journey towards Industrial Revolution 4.0, as part of Malaysia Tech Week 2019.

Hear from industry leaders like Microsoft, Qualcomm, NEC, DXC and YTL on what they are doing to accelerate Malaysia towards IR 4.0!

 

What Is Industrial Revolution 4.0?

Industrial Revolution 4.0, also known as the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0, is a term that is applied towards the current trend of intelligent automation that is enabled by information technology, interconnectivity and data analytics.

 

Industry 4.0 employs a wide range of technologies to achieve those aims, such as mobile devices, Internet of Things, smart sensors, big data analytics, augmented reality, cloud computing, and more.

Countries and corporations that successfully make use of these technologies will greatly improve their productivity. Hence, there is great interest by governments and companies to develop and accelerate their IR 4.0 capabilities.

 

Industrial Revolution 4.0 – Turbocharging Malaysia’s Journey!

Before the expert panel discussion kicked off, let’s get a short update on Industrial Revolution 4.0 from MDEC COO Dato’ Ng Wan Peng, Managing Director of Boston Consulting Group Ong Ching-Fong, and Wing K. Lee, CEO of YTL Communications.

 

Industrial Revolution 4.0 Panel Discussion

Joining Wing K. Lee for the expert panel on IR 4.0 were industry leaders from Microsoft, Qualcomm, NEC and DXC :

  • ST Liew, President of Qualcomm Taiwan and Southeast Asia
  • Datin Lim Bee Wah, Enterprise Commercial Lead, Microsoft Malaysia
  • Chong Kai Wooi, Managing Director, NEC Malaysia
  • Chong Fook Hing, Managing Director, DXC Malaysia

 

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The Economist : Malaysia LEAST CONFIDENT On Future-Readiness!

In a shocking report presented yesterday, The Economist Intelligence Unit revealed that family businesses in Malaysia are LEAST CONFIDENT in Southeast Asia about their future-readiness. What exactly does the report state, and what does this mean for Malaysia?

 

The Economist : Malaysia LEAST CONFIDENT On Future-Readiness!

At an Economist Intelligence Unit event at the Majestic Kuala Lumpur, EIU’s Corporate Network global editorial director, Andrew Staples, revealed some sobering statistics from their study of family business leaders from Southeast Asia :

  • Malaysian family businesses report the lowest levels of confidence in the future-readiness of their people, business environment and technology.
  • They are the least likely to adopt new business models, offer new products and services, and enter new markets.
  • Not surprisingly, they have the least confidence in their employees’ digital proficiency or development of new skills.
  • They also ranked very low in being prepared for technologies like data analytics, machine learning, automation and cloud computing.

Interestingly, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s report also pointed out that :

  • Malaysian family businesses believe that government regulations are the biggest threat to their growth over the next three years.
  • So they see large foreign companies and other local SMEs as their best partners for the next three years.
  • They are focused on leveraging those partners to drive costs down, instead of developing new products and services or to enter new markets.

 

The Economist, MDEC and SAP On Malaysian Family Business Future-Readiness

Now, the Economist Intelligence Unit’s study brings up some questions :

  • Do the results actually resonate with reality on-the-ground?
  • Is the low readiness due to a lack of funds, lack of opportunity, or lack of understanding about the value of digital transformation?
  • How can these family businesses and SMEs, in general, boost their confidence and ability to transform their businesses?

So we sat down with Andrew Staples, the EIU’s Global Editorial Director; Gopi Ganesalingam, Vice President of Enterprise Development at MDEC; and Duncan Williamson, Managing Director of SAP Malaysia, for an exclusive media briefing and Q&A session.

On the burning question of the future-readiness of Malaysian family businesses and SMEs in general, the panel identified talent retention as a key issue :

“People don’t leave companies, they leave managers. You need to put time and effort into changing the company culture, and the mindset of the managers to retain talent. People start to call you when you are recognised as a great place to work. I think there is a tremendous opportunity for us in Malaysia to address the movement of talent. More people want to come back to Malaysia now, and if we can address the challenge of making Malaysia a great place to work, the threat (of losing talent) will diminish,” said Duncan Williamson.

“The work culture is changing, the ecosystem is changing. These are helping to retain talent, and bring the talent we lost back to the country. In the last two to three years, more companies are redomiciling in Malaysia, than there are companies leaving Malaysia; and there are good talent coming back to Malaysia. It’s a good change, and it’s very positive right now,:” said Gopi Ganasalingam.

They also have some advice for businesses in Malaysia :

“Business leaders need to focus on the outcomes. The organisations that are successful are the ones that clearly define the outcomes, and hold their management team accountable for those outcomes. You can then build the technology you need to deliver those outcomes, but you have to be clear on the outcomes to start with,” advised Duncan Williamson.

“The gig economy will be a major change in the way we work, particularly for the younger generation. At MDEC, we already run a programme call eRezeki to educate Malaysians about the earning a living through the gig economy. Co-working spaces are also changing the way we work, and set-up our businesses. They will also change the way our talents are being trained, Gopi Ganasalingam pointed out.

 

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The Grand Challenge 2018 Hackathon Guide – Kuala Lumpur!

The Grand Challenge 2018 Hackathon series is coming up! If you are a tech entrepreneur who wants to get some skin in the game, or just want to show the world how smart you are, this is your chance! It’s time to show the world what you can do at the Grand Challenge 2018 hackathons!

Updated @ 2018-09-17 : Added details of the KL hackathon and pictures of the Johor hackathon. Congratulations to the winners!

Updated @ 2018-08-27 : Added pictures of the Sarawak hackathon. Congratulations to the winners!

Updated @ 2018-07-22 : Added the Sarawak hackathon details! Updated the Johor hackathon details!

Updated @ 2018-07-14 : Added the travel expense bonus for the Johor hackathon!

Updated @ 2018-07-04 : Added pictures of the Penang hackathon, and details of the Johor hackathon.

Originally posted @ 2018-06-28

 

The Grand Challenge 2018 Hackathons

The Grand Challenge 2018 Hackathons is a series of four different hackathons, each with a different challenge. So you will have not one, but up to four chances to prove your worth!


  • The Grand Challenge 2018 hackathons are backed by MDEC and the Penang state government
  • Anyone can join the Grand Challenge 2018 hackathons, and registration is FREE!
  • Every hackathon will last 3 days, and have RM 15,000 worth of prizes!
  • A panel of judges from various backgrounds will select the winners based on their creativity, marketability, uniqueness and impact.

 

How To Join The Grand Challenge 2018

You can sign up for one, or ALL of the four Grand Challenge 2018 hackathons by :

Register online here!

Call +6016-482-3528

Email vel@itt.asia

Web www.thegrandchallenge.my

 

The Penang Grand Challenge 2018

Theme : Outdoor Billboard Monitoring System

Location : @CAT Penang, Level 3, Wisma Yeap Chor Ee, 16, Gat Lebuh China, Georgetown, 10300 Penang

Date : 29th June to 1st July 2018

Full Details : Click HERE!

 

The Sarawak Grand Challenge 2018

Theme : Smart Logbook & Hiker Tracking

Location : Kuching, Sarawak

Date : 24th to 26th August 2018

Full Details : Click HERE!

 

The Johor Grand Challenge 2018

Theme : Smart Tourism

Location : IskandarSpace, Unit 02-02, Level 2, CIMB Leadership Academy, No. 3, Jalan Medini Utara 1, Medini Iskandar, 79200 Iskandar Puteri, Johor

Date : 7th to 9th September 2018

Full Details : Click HERE!

EVERY team that registers for The Grand Challenge 2018 Johor will receive RM 150 CASH for travel expenses!!!

 

The Kuala Lumpur Grand Challenge 2018

Theme : Occupancy Sensors For Parking Lots + Garage Lighting System

Location : KnowledgeCom, 3 Two Square, Petaling Jaya

Date : 21st to 23rd September 2018

Full Details : Click HERE!

 

The Grand Challenge 2018 Schedule

Are you up for the challenge? These hackathons are not for the faint of heart! Check out the schedule for all four hackathons :

Day 1ScheduleDay 2ScheduleDay 3Schedule
7:00 PMRegistration8:00 AMBreakfast8:00 AMBreakfast
8:00 PMDinner9:00 AMProject Management Basics9:00 AMPitching 101
9:00 PMIce Breaking & Briefing Session10:00 AMHackathon continues!10:00 AMJudging
10:00 PMUsing Technology to Address Problems of Today12:00 PMLunch11:00 AMTop 5 Teams Pitching
11:00 PM onwardsHackathon begins!1:00 PMCritical Thinking in Problem Solving12:00 PMPrize Giving and Lunch
2:00 PMHackathon continues!
7:00 PMDinner
8:00 PMHow to Attract Investors
9:00 PM onwardsHackathon continues!

Next Page > Penang + Sarawak Hackathon Details

 

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Penang Grand Challenge 2018 Details

Theme : Outdoor Billboard Monitoring System

Location : @CAT Penang, Level 3, Wisma Yeap Chor Ee, 16, Gat Lebuh China, Georgetown, 10300 Penang

Date : 29th June to 1st July 2018

Problem Statement : Outdoor billboards are one of the biggest advertisement platforms in Malaysia. Unfortunately, the tracking and monitoring process for the advertisements are really time consuming and hard with traditional method.

Outdoor billboard owners should get permit from city councils to own such billboards. They have to pay permit fee for each time they change advertisements on the billboards too.

For an example, let’s say ABC company owns a billboard in Georgetown. They place an advertisement for Pepsi for 3 months. They need to approach the city council and get permit for the advertisement and specify the duration of advertisement will be displayed. Assuming after the 3 months, they change to Colgate advertisement, they need to approach the city council again to obtain for new permit. The challenge here is, the billboard owners do not approach the city council to get new permits.

This is causing loss in revenue for city councils. Besides city councils can’t review the content of these advertisements to make sure they can be displayed in public places.

Specifications : Proposed idea must utilize Internet of Things (IoT) based solution.

  • Track the location of the billboards
  • Track the duration of the advertisements
  • Create alerts in case of advertisement changes and due dates
  • Create reports for City councils
  • Alert on defaulters

Justification : Creating IoT based solutions for Outdoor billboards will monitor the content of the advertisement to make sure they are appropriate for public display.

Such monitoring system will force the billboard owners to apply for appropriate permits which will generate income for city councils.

Potential Stakeholders : City councils

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Sarawak Grand Challenge 2018 Details

Theme : Smart Logbook & Hiker Tracking

Location : Kuching, Sarawak

Date : 24th to 26th August 2018

Problem Statement : Every year hundreds of thousands of hikers enter our forests and return without any problems but a small amount of them on the other hand encounter into problems such as:

  • Injury in forest
  • Go off the track
  • Missing
  • Unable to contact the hiking station in case of emergency
  • Report a crime while in jungle
  • Receive information/ update from forestry etc.

Challenge : The Grand Challenge Kuching participants should develop solutions to :

  • Help the hikers to navigate through the jungle
  • Enable the hikers to communicate with their base station
  • Report crime or send a distress signal with coordinates
  • Receive updates or information from the Forestry Department

The following data sets will be prepared and provided by the organisers :

  • Forest map (sample)
  • Terrain details (sample)
  • Trekking routes
  • Forestry contact information
  • Other relevant data

Participants that require additional data sets should make their requests by 10 August 2018.

Specifications : The solution should be cost-effective, and easy to implement, with a focus on Internet of Things (IoT), with solutions based on Bluetooth, LoRA, WiFi, Zigbee, LoRAWAN technologies, etc.

Requirements : Participants must create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) within 36 hours, with a focus on :

  • Functionality and usability
  • Marketing strategies and commercial angle
  • Business model for the product developed

Teams should comprise of 3-5 members with tech and/or business backgrounds. Organizers will not provide any hardware, so if any are required, participants should prepare and bring their own hardware.

Potential Stakeholders : The Malaysian Forestry Department, National Parks, Regional Forestry Departments.

Next Page > Johor + Kuala Lumpur Hackathon Details

 

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Johor Grand Challenge 2018 Details

Theme : Smart Tourism

Location : IskandarSpace, Unit 02-02, Level 2, CIMB Leadership Academy, No. 3, Jalan Medini Utara 1, Medini Iskandar, 79200 Iskandar Puteri, Johor

Date : 7th to 9th September 2018

Challenge : Develop solutions to promote Iskandar Puteri attractions, enhance visitor experience, provide information about local attractions, encourage visitors to explore them, promote local businesses and events. Participants should focus their MVP to the Iskandar Puteri area.

The data set will be prepared and provided by Iskandar Investment Berhad, which would include :

  • Location map
  • Local attractions
  • Promotions
  • Other relevant data

Participants that require additional data sets should make their requests by 10 August 2018.

Specifications : Solutions developed must make use of one of these technologies :

  • Internet of Things
  • Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data Analytics

Requirements : Participants must create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) within 36 hours, with a focus on :

  • Functionality and usability
  • Marketing strategies and commercial angle
  • Business model for the product developed

Teams should comprise of 3-5 members with tech and/or business backgrounds. They must stay in Iskandar Space during the hackathon but are allowed to explore the area to gather details, pictures or other necessary information.

Stakeholders : Iskandar Investment Berhad and Iskandar Puteri

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Register online here!

Call +6016-482-3528

Email vel@itt.asia

Web www.thegrandchallenge.my

 

Kuala Lumpur Grand Challenge 2018 Details

Theme : Occupancy Sensors For Parking Lots + Garage Lighting System

Location : KnowledgeCom, 3 Two Square, Petaling Jaya

Date : 21st to 23rd September 2018

Problem Statement : First Solar is a photovoltaic manufacturer of ridge thin film modules (solar panels), and a provider of utility-scale PV power plants and supporting services.

The scope for this hackathon is narrowed down to office parking lots where all lights need to be dimmed whenever there is no car or movement. However, the lights need to automatically brighten when movement is observed, and an alert notification sent out.

Specifications : In addition to the automatic dimming and brightening of the lights, the system needs to generate two specific reports :

  • Report on each detected movement, which sends a distress signal with vehicle geo-location, speed, and photo with registration number, etc.
  • Report on monthly energy usage and the amount of energy saved.

Participants must develop a solution that is cost effective and easy to implement. Organisers will not provide any hardware, so participants should prepare and bring their own hardware.

Requirements : Participants must create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) within 36 hours, with a focus on :

  • Functionality and usability
  • Marketing strategies and commercial angle
  • Business model for the product developed

Teams should comprise of 3-5 members with tech and/or business backgrounds. They must stay in KnowledgeCom during the hackathon.

Data Set : The data set will be prepared and provided by the organisers, and include :

  • Energy consumption calculator (kWh sample)
  • First Solar contact information
  • Other relevant data

Potential Stakeholders : First Solar Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Up for the challenge? REGISTER NOW!

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The Asia Cybersecurity Exchange Initiative Launched!

The Asia Cybersecurity Exchange is designed to nurture the development of new cybersecurity professionals, as well as encourage and support cybersecurity entrepreneurship. Find out how the Asia Cybersecurity Exchange is going to transform Malaysia into one of the world’s major cybersecurity hubs!

 

The Asia Cybersecurity Exchange Initiative

Asia Cybersecurity Exchange is the brainchild of LE Global Services Sdn Bhd (LGMS), formed in partnership with the ACE Group. Its mission is to identify and nurture cybersecurity talents and entrepreneurs in Malaysia. Their ultimate aim – elevate Malaysia as a cybersecurity hub in Asia.

US$ 50 Million Startup Fund

To help nurture cybersecurity entrepreneurs, the ACE Group has also set aside a fund of US$ 50 million / RM 200 million to invest in cybersecurity startups with high growth potential. The Asia Cybersecurity Exchange will help select qualified candidates and mentor their efforts.

MDEC Cybersecurity Development Program

The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) is also supporting the Asia Cybersecurity Exchange initiative with a 12-month MDEC Cybersecurity Development Program.

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This will consist of a series of cybersecurity conferences, hackathons, CISO roundtables, as well as industry collaboration workshops.

Cybersecurity Training & Internships

LGMS, with the help of MDEC and the eight premier tech universities in Malaysia, aim to train as many as 240 cybersecurity specialists in the next 12 months, with the aim of expanding the program in the subsequent years.

The top students selected by their universities will be interviewed and selected by LGMS for training by top cybersecurity experts, with industry mentors to help them nurture those who want to startup their own cybersecurity endeavours.

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LEVEL UP KL 2017 Ends With More Collaborations!

KUALA LUMPUR, 10 November 2017 – The games community in Malaysia and the Southeast Asia will benefit from closer regional collaborations and support from corporate partners including Google, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Unity Technologies and Media Prima Labs. Announced by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) at its third annual LEVEL UP KL 2017 Conference on Wednesday, the agency said that the collaborations are part of Malaysia’s effort in building a vibrant ecosystem for the regional games development industry in Kuala Lumpur.

These cross-border collaborations with games associations and corporate partners from Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Indonesia will see the countries working together to drive the content creation business through talent development, ecosystem funding, community acceleration and global outreach.

Speaking at the event, Kellie Liu, Project Manager, Taipei Computer Association said “It is a great honour for us to be here, participating in LEVEL UP KL 2017. Thanks to MDEC, Taipei Game Show has been partnering LEVEL UP since 2016. With this partnership, we hope to enhance the games industry communication between Taiwan and Malaysia, and help them to find more business opportunities.”

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The LEVEL UP Inc

At the event, MDEC also spoke of LEVEL UP Inc, an incubator space for starting game makers, indie developers and small to medium game start-ups, that will provide comprehensive support for talent development and business enhancements, complete with a customised brainstorming room, and high-end games lab. LEVEL UP Inc is a joint initiative with UOA Group, located on the same floor with the company’s newly opened co-working space, Komune.

The facility will see technology and games partners like Google, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Unity Technologies and Media Prima Labs coming in to provide resources and platforms for cutting-edge games development.

Sharing on their involvement with LEVEL UP Inc, Arata Naito, Head of Product Management, Sony Interactive Entertainment Hong Kong Limited Singapore Branch (SIES) said that the company sees high potential in Malaysia, having contributed to the development of several AAA games including Uncharted 4, Street Fighter V, Monsters of the Deep and Final Fantasy XV. The company will be providing LEVEL UP Inc with PlayStation 4 development kits to encourage Malaysia developers to create more games for the PlayStation 4.

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The LEVEL UP KL 2017 Conference Details Revealed!

LEVEL UP KL is coming back this November! As South-East Asia’s premier gaming conference, LEVEL UP KL 2017 presents a unique opportunity that brings together top professionals from the video games and creative content industry – game publishers, studio producers, content artists, and talents – all in one place to drive the growth of industry in Malaysia and across South-East Asia.

 

The LEVEL UP KL 2017 Conference Details Revealed!

What Is LEVEL UP KL 2017?

LEVEL UP KL is an annual South East Asia Games Developers conference led by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), with the mandate to develop the games and creative content industry.

The goal of this conference is to provide a platform for the region and bring together the local, regional, and international community of games developers, publishers, and technology providers to gather, learn, and share the latest information of content development technologies and business trends in the industry.

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When & Where Is LEVEL UP KL 2017?

LEVEL UP KL will run from 4th – 9th November 2017 at :

Connexion@Nexus,
Bangsar South City,
7, Jalan Kerinchi
59200 Kuala Lumpur

Who Will Be At LEVEL UP KL 2017?

Over 40 notable speakers will be at LEVEL UP KL this year including Wan Hazmer from Square Enix, Danny Koo from Marvel Entertainment, Brian Recktenwald from Naughty Dog, Grayson Chalmers from Riot Games and many more. We also have local speakers such as Desmond Lee from Appxplore, and Falk Au Yeong from SoundtRec Malaysia.

There will also be more than 60 exhibitors including the finalists of the South East Asia Game Awards, studios and participants from regional association such as Asosiasi Game Indonesia (AGI), Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP), the Singapore Chapter of the International Game Developers Association (IGDA) and many more.

How Do I Get Into LEVEL UP KL 2017?

You can sign up for LEVEL UP KL 2017, at the following prices :

  • 2-day Conference @ RM800 / ~US$ 190
  • Game Design Workshop @ RM100 / ~US$ 24
  • Concept Art Design Workshop @ RM100 / ~US$ 24
  • Environment Art Creation For AAA Games Workshop @ RM100 / ~US$ 24

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The Animamundi Partnership With China Film Animation

In a deal worth US$ 30 million over 3 years, fledging Malaysian animation studio, Animamundi Studio, officially signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with China Film Animation Industry. The deal will see both parties work together on the development and production of at least three titles for projects in China and North America.

The signing of this agreement was witnessed by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Yasmin Mahmood, who expects the Malaysian animation and visual effects industry to continue its strong growth.

 

The Animamundi Partnership With China Film Animation Industry

Before the official signing agreement, Animamundi Studio’s founder and CEO, Leong Chun Chong, showed off a video of his young team and shared his vision for the Malaysian animation industry.

MDEC Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Yasmin Mahmood, shared that the Malaysian creative content industry has been identified as “one of the Entry Point Projects (EPP) under the Malaysian Economic Transformation Programme.” It is expected to contribute just over RM 3 billion to the GNI (Gross National Income), and produce more than 10,000 jobs by 2020.

In this video (in Chinese), the President and CEO of China Film Animation Industry, Huang Jun, shares why they chose to partner with Animamundi, even though they are just a year old. “Throughout our collaboration with Animamundi, we were impressed with their team’s dedication, talent… and their approach towards problem solving. It felt like we were dealing with more than just artists. It has been very rewarding to our China Film Animation projects.

The CEO of Canwell Entertainment also came to talk about the Chinese animation industry, and how it’s set to grow even bigger. He then shared a teaser of their upcoming animation film.

 

About Animamundi Studio

Established on 5 June 2016, Animamundi Studio has delivered a number of visual effects for feature films and television series like ‘Three Lives, Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms‘, and ‘Dream‘. Their highest profile project to date is the upcoming film, ‘Forever Young‘, which stars Zhang Ziyi, Huang Xiaoming, Chang Chen and Wang Leehom.

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The HotShotz 2017 eGames Festival Press Conference

The HotShotz 2017 eGames festival is gearing up for the grand final event, where over 250 gamers will compete in 7 game titles. Find out more about HotShotz from their key partners – the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Acer Malaysia, Digi, Codemasters and the KDU University College. Even Crimson Viper came in to endorse HotShots 2017!

 

The HotShotz 2017 eGames Festival

After 5 rounds of fierce qualifiers, hosted by five different universities, Malaysia’s eGames festival, HotShotz 2017, is now gearing up for the grand event where over 250 finalists, all amateurs, from 7 game titles will come together to compete to be the winners and hopefully move on to be the next international eSports stars from Malaysia.

In this video, the HotShotz 2017 key partners reveal why they are supporting and pushing the HotShotz 2017 eGames festival. They are Hasnul Hadi Samsudin, Vice-President, Creative Content & Technologies Division, MDEC; Tan Chin Ike, Head of School of Computing and Creative Media, KDU University College; Andre Stiegler, Studio Manager, Codemasters, and representatives from Acer Malaysia and Digi.

HotShotz is much more than just its eSports component though. Thanks to VR Lab, visitors will enjoy a large VR area to experience the gaming world in virtual reality, there will be a cosplay competition and even a rare PC modding competition.

At the same time, the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation is bringing 10 independent game publishers to showcase their games, which they hope will launch them to global prominence. Sharing the stage with them are global console gaming powerhouse, Sony Entertainment, which will be showcasing some of its games together with Codemasters.

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Mellanox Technologies Expands Presence In Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, April 12, 2017 – Mellanox Technologies, Ltd. (NASDAQ: MLNX) today unveiled its expansion plans for Malaysia. The announcement, which is in line with the country’s ambitions of becoming the leading Big Data Analytics (BDA) solutions hub in South East Asia, reiterated Mellanox’s commitment to Malaysia through its strategic investment roadmap.

 

Mellanox Technologies Expands Presence In Malaysia

“Malaysia’s investment in Big Data, data centers and the Cloud is impressive,” said Charlie Foo, Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific Japan, Mellanox Technologies. “With a year-over-year growth of more than 20 percent in the last five years, the field of digital data management is maturing rapidly. Mellanox’s investment in Malaysia looks to complement Malaysia’s advancing digital economy by providing intelligent 10, 25, 40, 50 and 100Gb/s interconnect solutions that serve today’s and future needs in Malaysia. This will enable organizations to be less concerned about today’s technological demands while concentrating on running their business, resulting in unparalleled operating efficiency for these organizations.”

Mellanox’s investment into Malaysia’s digital economy comes at a time when the country is ramping up its efforts to see its ICT roadmap to fruition. The country’s ICT custodian, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), noted that MSC Malaysia — a national initiative designed to attract world-class technology companies to the country — reported a U.S. $3.88 billion in export sales in 2015, representing an 18 percent increase over 2014.

Today, the MSC Malaysia footprint has expanded to include 42 locations across the country, hosting more than 3,800 companies from more than 40 countries, employing more than 150,000 high-income knowledge workers, 85 percent which are Malaysians. This has propelled Malaysia to a top three ranking in AT Kearney’s Global Services Location Index since 2005, with only China and India ahead of Malaysia.

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Mellanox’s Open Ethernet switch family delivers the highest performance and port density with a complete chassis and fabric management solution, enabling converged data centers to operate at any scale while reducing operational costs and infrastructure complexity.

Mellanox InfiniBand solutions have already been chosen to accelerate large High Performance Computing (HPC) customers in Malaysia. HPC customers use super computers and parallel processing techniques for solving complex computational problems and performing research activities through computer modeling, simulation and analysis. These HPC customers span various industries including education, bioscience, governments, finance, media and entertainment, oil and gas, pharmaceutical and manufacturing.

The company is actively seeking partnerships and collaboration opportunities to support customers from different industries, primarily within Big Data, data centers and the Cloud.

 

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Ian Livingstone – The Past, Present & Future of the Game Industry

Level Up KL 2016 was a great opportunity for game developers in Asia to meet up, and learn from each other. Industry luminaries like Wan Hazmer and Rami Ismail gave talks on creating a triple A game title like Final Fantasy XV, and how a new developer can survive the development of their first game.

But MDEC (Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation) saved the best for last – Ian Livingstone CBE. We were so fortunate to be able to meet him in person, and listen to him talk about the past, present and future of the game industry. Join us for this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

 

Ian Livingstone On The Past, Present And Future Of The Game Industry

On 11 November 2016, we were invited to a special session with Ian Livingstone CBE. You may know him as the co-founder of Games Workshop and the roleplaying gamebooks – Fighting Fantasy. He was also the Life President of Eidos, and helped bring Tomb Raider to life.

With over 40 years of experience in the game industry, his life experience is truly the stuff of legends. And he kindly shared that with us in his hour-long talk.

Ian Livingstone was not just part of the explosion of the roleplaying genre in the 70s, he was also a pioneer. With Steve Jackson, he created the White Dwarf gaming magazine and the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks. And both of them (with Bryan Ansell) then founded Citadel Miniatures.

Ian Livingstone now divides his time between nurturing new game developers, and the Livingstone Foundation (which he founded). He is recognised as one of the founding fathers of the UK games industry, and listed in the 2015 Debrett’s 500 of most influential people in UK. He has also won a slew of awards like the BAFTA Special Award, the British Inspiration Award and the Develop Legend Award.

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Q&A On The Game Industry In Emerging Markets

At the end of his talk, Ian Livingstone graciously sat down for a Q&A session with members of the media and students who were lucky enough to be part of the session. Joining him at the Q&A session was Hasnul Hadi Samsudin, the Director of Creative Content & Technologies, MDEC.

We hope you enjoyed the insights Ian Livingstone shared with us. We are certainly very glad we had the opportunity to meet and listen to him.

 

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The Making Of Final Fantasy XV & Final Gameplay Preview

After showing us the PC development version of Final Fantasy XV, Wan Hazmer is back with more Final Fantasy XV goodies. At the second day of Level Up KL 2016, he gave a much-anticipated talk on the making of Final Fantasy XV and the rebirth of the Final Fantasy franchise.

Wan Hazmer also showed off the final gameplay preview for Final Fantasy XV, and the Omen trailer. His talk ran long, but seriously, who cares??? 😀

 

The Making Of Final Fantasy XV

In this video, Wan Hazmer reveals how the Final Fantasy XV team reinvented themselves and the Final Fantasy franchise to “reclaim the gaming throne“. It is a mesmerising look at the making of Final Fantasy XV.

For those who don’t know yet, Wan Hazmer is the Lead Game Designer (Culture Team) of Final Fantasy XV. A true blue Malaysian, he is the reason for the Malaysian influence in Final Fantasy XV.

 

The Final Fantasy XV Final Gameplay Preview

After his presentation, Wan Hazmer showed off what is likely to be the final gameplay preview of Final Fantasy XV before its official launch in just 3 weeks. Check it out!

Final Fantasy XV, if you recall, was previously scheduled to be launched on September 30, but Square Enix announced on August 15 that it would be delayed to November 29, 2016. The two month delay was necessary “to achieve a level of perfection that our fans deserve“, according to Final Fantasy XV Game DirectorHajime Tabata. [adrotate banner=”5″]

 

The Final Fantasy XV Omen Trailer

Omen is a short Final Fantasy XV-inspired cinematic trailer created by Digic Pictures. It features a shifting reality around seemingly unrelated events.

 

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The Malaysian Influence In Final Fantasy XV (With Preview)

On 24 October 2016, we were invited to a special session with Wan Hazmer, the Lead Game Designer of Final Fantasy XV. He came to talk about the Malaysian influence in Final Fantasy XV, as well as to show off previews of the highly-anticipated game which will be released on 29 November 2016.

Due to the secretive nature of the briefing, we were not allowed to record video footage of the event, or the Final Fantasy XV gameplay Wan Hazmer demonstrated. But we were allowed to take pictures and record their speeches. Check out what they revealed at the event!

 

Streamline Studios Co-Development Work

In July 2016, Streamline Studios was picked by Square Enix to provide premium development work on Final Fantasy XV. Streamline Studios is the largest game development studio in Malaysia with over 200 AAA collaborations under its belt, including BioShock Infinite, Star Citizen, Gears of War and Street Fighter V.

In this video, Alexander Fernandez, CEO of Streamline Studios, details how Streamline Studios came to be selected to co-develop Final Fantasy XV with Square Enix. The photos in this video will also show Hasnul Hadi Samsudin, the Director if Creative Content & Technologies, MDEC and Wan Hazmer.

 

Malaysian Influence In Final Fantasy XV

Wan Hazmer is a true anak Malaysia (Malaysian son). As Lead Game Designer of Final Fantasy XV, he tried to introduce as many Malaysian cultural elements as possible. Not everything made the cut, of course, but believe it or not – he managed to add roti canai, satay and teh tarik!

In this video, Wan Hazmer explains the Malaysian influence in Final Fantasy XV. Not just the inclusion of Malaysian culture, but also the creative contribution of Malaysians like him and the Streamline Studios team in its development.

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PC Development Preview Of Final Fantasy XV

Wan Hazmer showed off the internal PC build of the PS4 version of Final Fantasy XV. Here are the photos we took. Enjoy!

 

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Malaysia Now F-Secure Cybersecurity Hub For Asia Pacific

F-Secure is making a big push into the Asia Pacific region, using Malaysia as their launch pad. The F-Secure Tower in Bangsar South, where more than 170 F-Secure research and development engineers are based, is now the F-Secure cybersecurity hub for the whole Asia Pacific region.

 

The Asia Pacific F-Secure Cybersecurity Hub

In the F-Secure Tower, security engineers work around the clock to actively track malware in real-time. There is also a Customer Care Centre that provides 24/7 global support in the native language of its customers, such as Japanese, Spanish and all English speaking countries.

The security engineers in the F-Secure Tower currently track and analyse hundreds of thousands of threats on a daily basis. When a new threat is detected, these engineers immediately craft and issue new patches which are deployed to F-Secure customers around the globe.

 

New F-Secure CEO Samu Konttinen

The importance of the Malaysian F-Secure cybersecurity hub cannot be understated. It is, after all, F-Secure’s only security lab outside of Finland.

Just over 2 months into his appointment as F-Secure CEO & President, Samu Konttinen, made a point to visit the Malaysian F-Secure cybersecurity hub. In a press conference held yesterday, he gave us talk on how “Data Breaches Eat CEOs For Breakfast“. Check it out!

 

F-Secure Hosts AVAR 2016 Conference

Ingvar Froiland, Director and GM of F-Secure Asia Pacific, announced the forthcoming Anti-virus Asia Researchers (AVAR) 2016 conference, together with Norhizam Abdul Kadir, Vice-President of Infotech Industry Development, MDEC.

The AVAR 2016 conference will run from November 30 until December 2, 2016 at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. There will be 19 industry speakers, including Mikko Hypponen, F-Secure’s Chief Research Officer.

 

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JomHack Hackathon: Smart Cities With LoRa

Cyberjaya, 11 August 2016 – The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Cyberview Sdn Bhd – the Cyberjaya Tech Hub Enabler – together with The Things Network Netherlands and Pixaworks Creative Sdn Bhd recently successfully completed a 24-hour Internet of Things (IoT) hackathon known as JomHack: IoT for Smart Cities with LoRa. Held from 5-7th August at the Cyberview Living Lab in Cyberjaya, the event saw 30 teams, each comprising three members with various computer programming, application development and engineering backgrounds, collaborate and develop usable IoT solutions which can be adopted and implemented in Cyberjaya, within the allocated 24 hours. Commenting on the inaugural 2016 event, Dato’ Yasmin Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer, MDEC said, “The IoT represents the next frontier of Information Technology, with tremendous new capabilities waiting to be explored. With JomHack, we are a step closer to transforming the nation and fundamentally reshaping the way our cities operate. Through the partnership with Cyberview Living Lab, The Things Network and the ideas we see brought to life by the participants, we look forward to planning the future of our connected Malaysia.”  

JomHack Hackathon Winners

Ten winning projects were shortlisted with the top three teams selected as grand winners based on their ability to build IoT solutions around the “Smart Cities” theme, real-world application, innovation and individual capabilities of the teams: Seven other winners from the top ten received RM300 as consolation prizes. For 28-year old startup founder Leong Yok Tien, the win was a pleasant surprise to him and the team, “It’s an honour for us to be recognised at this hackathon, given the brilliance showcased by the participants here. With our project, we hope this would soon address the common yet critical water leakage problems in our country, and we look forward to seeing the related parties adopting our solution in real-life application.” Participants also made use of Long Range (LoRa) technology – a signal modulation technique that provides long-range communication link for low-power wide-area network which can reach up to 2-3 km in urban areas and over 15 km in sub-urban areas. The technology was provided by The Things Network (TTN) Netherland – a global, open, crowd-sourced Internet of Things data network with over 200 communities worldwide. Johan Stokking, co-founder and technology lead of the TTN said at the judging ceremony that he was largely impressed with the determination and innovation presented despite the time constraint for the participants. He enthused, “Part of becoming a smarter city involves setting up the right opportunity and infrastructure that invites community participation. JomHack certainly hit its mark with these brilliant pitches from its very talented community from all over the country. I’m happy to surmise that everyone here is without a doubt, the best group of hackathon participants I have ever seen.” Sharing his thoughts on JomHack, Mahadhir Aziz, Head of Technology Hub Development Division, Cyberview Sdn Bhd said, “Innovation is at the heart of daily life here in Cyberjaya. As Malaysia’s Capital of Creation, we are beyond excited to have played host to such a prestigious event. Through this collaboration with MDEC and The Things Network Netherland, we are proud to be part of a movement that could improve the living experience of the community in the long term. We hope that these ideas will be developed to become enablers and key elements of our smart city vision that is driven by a culture of innovation and supported by unparalleled connectivity, sustainability, security and liveability.”ervices Sdn Bhd, and Gain Secure Sdn Bhd.  

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Malaysia Hosts IMGA SEA Competition

Kuala Lumpur, 17 June 2016 – After success in two continents, the team behind the hugely successful International Mobile Gaming Awards (IMGA) has announced it is to host the first-ever mobile games competition in Southeast Asia on 8 November 2016, in partnership with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).

Hasnul Hadi Samsudin, Director of Creative Content & Technology division at MDEC said, “We are thrilled to play host to this global event and we are proud to partner with IMGA. This collaboration is another testament to Malaysia’s commitment to become the leading ASEAN hub for games development and we hope that this event will raise more awareness on the quality of our local talents including the robust regional and local games industry.”

 

IMGA SEA Awards

Coming on the heels of IMGA celebrating their 12th annual awards ceremony in San Francisco, IMGA SEA awards will mark the first year that the awards are handed out in Southeast Asia, recognising talents from the fast growing and blooming markets of the region.

Commenting on the new event, Maarten Noyons, Founder of the IMGA said, “Southeast Asia is rightly held up around the world as a hotbed of mobile gaming talent, showing tremendous download and revenue growth year-on-year. As all eyes look to Asia, we are proud to bring IMGA here to celebrate this creative and exciting industry, and can’t wait to see what we ultimately unveil from the community during our ceremony event.”

The call for entries is now open. Malaysian mobile games studios, indie developers, publishers involved in any aspect of the creation of mobile games are invited to submit their game until 30 September 2016 on sea.imgawards.com/submit-your-game. After an online pre-selection, the panel will select the winners during the final judging session in an intensive multi-day private roundtable held in Penang in early November. Winners will be announced on 8th November and listed online.

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iflix Selected For MDEC GAIN Program

KUALA Lumpur, 16 June 2016iflix, Southeast Asia’s leading Internet TV service, is thrilled to announce its selection as one of only a handful of companies to participate in the Global Acceleration and Innovation Network (GAIN), an initiative spearheaded by the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) in recognition of iflix’s world-class service and proven ability to innovate at a global level.

The collaboration reaffirms iflix’s commitment to promote excellence and innovation in the Malaysian ICT industry, as well as showcase MDEC’s commitment to support iflix in line with its vision to expand Malaysia’s globalization footprint.

iflix was awarded Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status by MDEC in 2015. In just over a year, it has achieved many significant and exceptional milestones including:

  • Simultaneously launching its service in Malaysia and the Philippines, and subsequently rolling out to Thailand and Indonesia.
  • Growing from a small start-up operation to a global business of 320 employees worldwide, with 200 based in the company’s Malaysian HQ housing its centralized global operations including a robust technology development centre, in-house marketing and creative team and global content acquisition and operations team.
  • Repatriating exceptional Malaysian talent formerly living abroad, including, senior engineering and digital marketing professionals.
  • Establishing landmark strategic partnerships with Malaysia’s four leading telecom operators – TM, Digi, Maxis and Celcom, as well as leading telecoms across the region including PLDT Smart, True, Telkom Indonesia and Indosat Ooreedoo.

As part of the company’s commitment to the Malaysian digital ecosystem, iflix has also developed proprietary Content Delivery Applications based in Malaysia which both help optimize customer experience by removing data latency and as well as significantly improve the efficiency and economics of its operations and partnerships by vastly reducing the cost for telcos to supply Internet to their customers.

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“I would like to congratulate iflix on the opening of their new office, and achievements barely a year from when they started. Their growth rate over the past 12 months is very commendable,” said Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation CEO Dato’ Yasmin Mahmood.

“MDEC’s GAIN program was initiated for companies like iflix – the very small group of MSC companies that have become significant players in the global arena and are able to build on their product & business model. Within this drive and determination lies the capacity to build a great, global company. iflix is a fine inspiration of and for our GAIN programme,” she added.

Over the last 14 months, iflix has additionally spearheaded efforts to increase demand for and exposure to local content producers and distributors. iflix currently carries over 3,000 hours of Malaysian TV and film titles. The company’s upcoming iflix Originals initiative further aims to provide the Malaysian film industry an exciting new platform to push boundaries and innovate the current landscape.

iflix Malaysia, Azran Osman-Rani commented: “We are incredibly honored and proud to receive the support and trust of the MDEC. With GAIN, we look forward to expediting our growth as we revolutionize Internet TV in new markets. iflix is fully committed to helping build Malaysia’s digital future, and we look forward to a prosperous partnership together.”

Now available in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia, iflix will continue to roll out its world-class service to key additional Southeast Asian and other regional markets in the coming months. Offering consumers thousands of first-run exclusives, award-winning TV shows, blockbuster movies, popular Asian content, kids programs and more, each subscription provides users unlimited access to the service on up to five devices, including phones, laptops, tablets, and television sets, for viewing wherever, whenever. iflix subscribers can also download TV shows and movies from iflix’s extensive library for offline viewing. The service is priced at only RM8 per month in Malaysia for unlimited access with no ads!

For new subscribers, iflix offers a complimentary 30-day trial with full access to its world-class service, features and content, with no credit card or payment details required.  Go to www.iflix.com to register.

 

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Becoming A Data Ninja With Microsoft SQL Server 2016

Malaysia is at the cusp of a data revolution. Cloud computing as well as big data analytics and intelligence will play a central role in this data revolution. Data science will transform entire industries in a new world in which data is the new currency. To support the transition to a data-centric world, the Microsoft SQL Server has evolved beyond its database roots, into a full-fledged business analytics and data management platform.

On the 8th of April, 2016, Microsoft Malaysia officially launched the new Microsoft SQL Server 2016 to support this transition to a data-centric world. Four key figures from Microsoft and the Multimedia Development Corporation came together to address the expansion of data science in Malaysia, and how SQL Server 2016 will help companies achieve their goals faster and easier than ever before.

 

Microsoft Malaysia On The Launch Of SQL Server 2016

In this video, Michal Golebiewski, Chief Marketing & Operations Officer, Microsoft Malaysia explains Microsoft’s mission and how they aim to help companies transform their operations to a mobile-first, data-first environment with Microsoft SQL Server 2016.

 

Dr. Karl Ng (MDeC) On Data Science In Malaysia

Ir Dr. Karl Ng Kah Hou, Director, Innovation Capital Division, The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) then spoke on the push for data science in Malaysia. He also addressed questions about MDeC’s initiatives on data science in Malaysia. Check it out :

 

How To Become A Data Scientist

Microsoft even brought in a real-life data scientist – Julian Lee. An Advance Analytics Technical Solutions Professional in Microsoft Asia, he gave us a riveting account of his experience as a data scientist in Malaysia. A must-watch for those who are thinking of taking this exciting new career path.

 

Microsoft SQL Server 2016’s Key Features

Ending this exclusive event was Darmadi Komo, the Director of Microsoft’s Data Group Marketing. He flew in all the way from the Microsoft campus at Redmond to share with us the key features of the new Microsoft SQL Server 2016.

He also shared with us the fabulous offer from Microsoft – free SQL Server 2016 licences for companies that want to migrate from Oracle. The offer’s good up to June 2016, so contact Microsoft Malaysia ASAP if you are interested!

The new Microsoft SQL Server 2016 supports hybrid transactional / analytical processing, advanced analytics and machine learning, mobile Business Intelligence, data integration, always encrypted query processing capabilities and in-memory transactions with persistence.

  • Stretch Database technology is an industry first and allows customers to dynamically stretch warm and cold transactional data to Azure so operational data is always accessible. This also enables customers to have a cost-effective data strategy while protecting their customer’s sensitive data.
  • Advanced analytics using our new R support that enables customers to do real-time predictive analytics on both operational and analytic data.
  • Ground-breaking security encryption capabilities that enable data to always be encrypted at rest, in motion and in-memory to deliver maximum security protection.
  • In-memory database support for every workload with performance increases up to 30-100x.
  • Business Intelligence for every employee on every device – including new mobile BI support for iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices.
  • Available on Linux in private preview, making SQL Server 2016 more accessible to a broader set of users
  • Unique cloud capabilities that enable customers to deploy hybrid architectures that partition data workloads across on-premises and cloud based systems to save costs and increase agility
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Support Tech ARP!

If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!