KDN-PP19103/09/2016(034592) JUNE 2017

MARKET PRODUCTS PROMOTIONS VENDORS PEOPLE EVENTS

Do or Die: SMEs need to digitise to thrive in the digital economy

Dell EMC VMware unveils Schneider Electric iPay88 allows celebrates with IoT management launches IoT others to channel partners solution platform Pay4Me PG 6 PG 22 PG 9 PG 5 Turning ideas into business value. Faster. The 4 secrets to success in the Idea Economy.

Success today is defined by the ability to turn ideas into value faster than the competition. But how? Find out how you can accelerate your business by building a partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Learn more at hpe.com/my

© Copyright 2016 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP. WITH YOUR I.T. DO MORE SECURED BY ESET Turning ideas into business value. Faster. Whether you’re managing your business, or overseeing your company’s IT, ESET’s security products are fast, easy to use, and deliver market-leading detection. We deliver the protection that allows you to DO MORE. Find out more at ESET.COM/MY/BUSINESS The 4 secrets to success in the Idea Economy.

Success today is defined by the ability to turn ideas into value faster than the competition. But how? Find out how you can accelerate your business by building a partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise. Learn more at hpe.com/my

© Copyright 2016 Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP. It is time to digitise our SMEs

S mall to medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the Malaysian economy, providing employment to 65.5% of our workforce. I do not know if that is good news or bad. They are doing well but can’t they do more?

In the world of business, companies should be constantly growing, from small to medium and on into large corporations and eventually into global conglomerates. With the exception of government-linked companies, very few SMEs seemed to have ­transitioned into the big times, so to speak. Too many are still at SME levels.

Not surprisingly, 73% of Malaysian SMEs have little to no ICT usage in their ­business operations, and their total contribution to GDP is a paltry 36.3%. Is there a correlation here? Could their low adoption of ICT be affecting their efficiency, ­productivity and competency?

With the growth in online shopping – including cross-border transactions – SMEs can no longer afford to be reticent in ICT. They cannot stick their head in the sand and hope that it will all go away. They cannot just post their products on Facebook and hope for the best. If they do not evolve, update their business ­strategies and empower these strategies with technology, they will be in for a bumpy and potential- ly business-ending ride. Indeed, it is no longer business-as- usual. It is do-or-die.

This is a great moment of opportunity for resellers. The market is practically­ waiting to be tapped! This is a time to get creative in overcoming traditional ­resistance – “it’s too expensive!” “I don’t have any technical staff!” – and present feasible solutions with case studies to back up your case. Those who do, will not only boost their bottom line, but also perform national service by raising the ­competitiveness and productivity of our home-grown companies

Our main feature explores why SMEs are reluctant to embrace digitisation and why they should, with some suggestions on how they can. The weather is cloudy with a chance of windfall.

We hope you enjoy our issue and look forward to serving up more. Please share this with your fellow resellers, visit our website at www.resellermalaysia.my for more news and articles, and feel free to write in with your comments and suggestions.

Best regards! Stephen Chin, Editor

PUBLISHED BY EDITOR: GRAPHICS DESIGNER: Verve Infotech Sdn Bhd Stephen Chin Milly Milk Ville - Sharon Sen / milkville@gmail.com Suite 33A, Avenue Business Center, www.millymilkville.space 111 Block E, Phileo Damansara 1 ACCOUNT MANAGER: 9 Jalan 16/11, off Jalan Damansara Lim Chia Nean / [email protected] PRINTER: 46350 Petaling Jaya +60 12 320 1171 / +603 7493 5012 Super Yueta Print, No. 40, Jalan PBS 14/8, Taman Perindustrian PUBLISHER ADVERTISING: Bukit Serdang, 43300 Seri Kembangan, Selangor. Satish [email protected]

EDITORIAL CIRCULATION [email protected] 2500 copies

2 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 CONTENTS

P5 News Local P5 P5 iPay88 allows others­ to Pay4Me P6 Dell EMC celebrates with channel partners P8 Outsourcing Malaysia opens office in Iskandar Malaysia P9 Schneider Electric launches IoT platform

International P10 MS Azure to enhance support for SAP workloads P11 Survey: Organisations ramping up digital investment P12 Dell Technologies rolls out flexible IT consumption models P13 P13 WannaCry a reminder not to neglect basic cybersecurity P15 Dell EMC enhances products in SDS portfolio P16 Cover Story Do or Die: SMEs need to digitise to thrive in the digital economy SMEs remain a relatively untapped market as far as digital transformation is concerned. We look at why this goldmine is waiting to be tapped.

P16 P19 Product News P19 HID Global introduces mobile authenticator app P20 Qualcomm boasts Snapdragon Mobile PC platform, Intel unfazed P21 Epson launches industrial-strength labeller P21 P22 VMware unveils IoT management solution

P23 Feature It is time for Cloud 2.0 The cloud landscape is ever-evolving. IDC’s William Lee and Pranabesh Nath spoke to Reseller Malaysia about Cloud version 2.0

P23 CONTENTS

P26 Column Machine learning: the future­ of cyber security? As cyber threats grow in numbers and sophistication, the next generation of cyber­security P26 will likely be intelligent... P28 Survey Modern Tech Users and their Habits In the world of mobility, users are increasingly creative in how they use their phones and computers. Here are some interesting statistics of their habits.

Cybersecurity Cybersecurity Cybersecurity Professional Professional Company of of the Year of the Year the Year 2015 2016 2015

EC-Council Global Services Malaysia 606 Block G, Phileo Damansara 1, Jalan 16/11, Off Jalan Damansara, 46350 Petaling Jaya, Selangor. +60-3-7954-6896, [email protected]

CYBER SECURITY CONSULTING AND ADVISORY SERVICES EC-Council’s world renowned Cyber Security Experts now in Malaysia Compliant Resilient Competitive News iPay88 allows PIKOM reminds organisations to remain ­others to Pay4Me vigilant against cyberattacks

Lim Kok Hing, co-founder and executive director, iPay88. PIKOM is also inviting companies O nline payment gateway provider iPay88 Sdn Bhd introduced a new and agencies to feature that allows a person to make consult with us on payment for purchases made by another. this issue With Pay4Me, the payer, who is not the purchaser, may pay on behalf of the purchase for online transactions.

“Pay4Me is useful and convenient online payment solution ideal for families with youngsters and older folks or even Chin Chee Seong, PIKOM chairman domestic helpers who do not have easy access to credit or debit cards or online T he National ICT Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) advises all users to be vigilant and banking facilities,’ said Lim Kok Hing, take precautions to avoid being caught by malware such as the recently much-­ co-founder and executive director, iPay88. publicised WannaCryptor (also known as WannaCry) attack.

“We developed Pay4Me to reduce the PIKOM said it has not received any report or alert of being hit by WannaCry from its hassle in payment settlements for the 1,000-plus members to date. No members reported any clients having been issued a payer, who is usually also the main ransom. family dependent. Such role is normally ­shouldered by the parents or working “This is expected as many would rather keep a low profile and hope the issue blows over,” member of the family,” he said. said PIKOM chairman Chin Chee Seong in a statement. “However, these issues cannot be swept under the carpet. Organisations must take the necessary steps to prevent and Online groceries shopping, routine thwart cyberattacks.” payment of tuition or school fees, mobile phone top-ups and other items or services The first step is to ensure the assets are protected by having the right tools to guard that a family network usually requires and against attacks and intrusions. Second, organisations must ensure their staff are trained obtains online, can be directed to the with the necessary skills and knowledge to deal with cyberattacks. payer for payment, in a secure, convenient and efficient manner. “Chief information officers (CIO) and heads of IT departments play an integral part in ­protecting their organisations against cyberattacks. Their roles must be recognised by any Existing iPay88 merchants can opt to organisation in this digital age,” Chin said. “Companies should not compromise when they integrate Pay4Me as one of their payment engage knowledgeable CIO or IT security experts.” options at no extra cost. “The process is simple and only requires activation from A company should have a good cybersecurity defence which involves a proper business our end,” Lim explained. risk assessment; having an appropriate IT security policy and procedures; deploying the right security technologies; ensuring compliance; constantly monitoring the environment, To use Pay4Me, the online shopper simply educating employees; alerting and responding to security incidents quickly; and conducting chooses the option at check out and forensic and root cause investigation. “Malaysian companies cannot take a wait-and-see provide the payer’s email address, contact attitude anymore,” Chin warned. number and an optional message to the payer. The payment link is sent to the “We are encouraged by the efforts of the Malaysia Computer Emergency Response Team payer by email. When clicked, the payer (MyCERT) under national agency CyberSecurity Malaysia in providing up-to-date alerts, is redirected to iPay88’s payment page ­advisories and assistance to affected organisations and users to address this grave for credit card input or online banking ­situation,” Chin added. ­authentication. The payer has 48 hours to MyCERT issued an advisory on the WannaCry ransomware ransomware at https://www. complete the payment. mycert.org.my/en/services/advisories/mycert/2017/main/detail/1263/index.html Lim said Pay4Me is secure as iPay88 “PIKOM is also inviting companies and agencies to consult with us on this issue,” Chin complies with International Security said. “The association has formed an information security committee comprising major Standards (PCI DSS Certified Level 1). ­cybersecurity players in Malaysia.” iPay99 is also regulated under Financial System Act 2013 and Bank Negara. For more information, contact [email protected]

JUNE 2017 | www.resellermalaysia.my Reseller Malaysia 5 News

Dell EMC celebrates with channel partners​ D ell EMC held a partner appreciation program at the Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur on 13 April. The event showcased the company’s award-­ winning offerings and updated local channel partners on Dell EMC’s partner programs following the merger of Dell and EMC. It ended on a high note with an award ceremony in recognition of top performers for 2016.

Winner (From Left) Category (Top Partner 2016)

CTC Global Sdn Bhd Client Solutions Business

VADS Berhad Government & GLC Segment

Fusion Data Sdn Bhd Infrastructure Solutions Business

CTC Global Sdn Bhd Large Institution Segment

Winner (From Left) Category (Top Distributor 2016)

ECS Astar Sdn Bhd Storage Business

Convergence Networks Sdn Bhd Compute & Networking Business

Dimension Data (Malaysia) sdn Bhd Data Center Solutions

Avnet Technology Solutions (M) Sdn Bhd Data Center Solutions

Winner (From Left) Category (Top Infrastructure Solutions Partner 2016)

Gigabit Hosting Sdn Bhd 3rd in SMB Segment

East Light Technology(M) Sdn Bhd 2nd in SMB Segment

Ezytronic Sdn Bhd 1st in SMB Segment

Pentech Solutions Sdn Bhd Northern SMB Segment

Extreme Edge Sdn Bhd Southern SMB Segment

N-Base (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd East Malaysia SMB Segment

Winner (From Left) Category (Top Client Solutions Partner 2016)

Computer Land Malaysia Sdn Bhd 3rd in SMB Segment

Ezytronic Sdn Bhd 2nd in SMB Segment

Sistem RKK Sdn Bhd 1st in SMB Segment

PC Image Sdn Bhd East Malaysia SMB Segment

Proteg Computing Sdn Bhd Southern SMB Segment

Pentech Solutions Sdn Bhd Northern SMB Segment

Winner (From Left) Category (Top Distributor - client/infrastructure solutions)

M-link (M) Sdn Bhd Top Client Solutions Distributor 2016 SMB Segment

Innovix (M) Sdn Bhd Top Distributor 2016 Client Solutions Business

Convergence Networks Sdn Bhd Top Distributor 2016 Infrastructure Solutions Business

Innovix (M) Sdn Bhd Top Infrastructure Solutions Distributor 2016 SMB Segment

Abeam Consulting (M) Sdn Bhd Top ISV Partner 2016

ECS Astar Sdn Bhd Top Distributor 2016 Year on Year Growth

6 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 News

Microlink launches IoT solutions for local uses

M icrolink Solutions Bhd launched three in March, roads in the Klang Valley were consumption and operational costs,” Chia new Internet of Things (IoT) applications­ ­submerged following intense rainfall. said. that can address some ­recurring issues in Malaysia, namely in flood and natural disaster Microlink’s Smart Environmental The Smart Plantation System can help mitigation, energy management,­ and Management System can collect, analyse farmers control the vital functions that plantation­ sectors. and transmit critical information on ­rainfall, impact overall production quantity and water levels, humidity and others to enable quality, such as water usage and irrigation. The company hopes the three IoT ­solutions better flood prevention and mitigation­ The system uses sensing technology run – Smart Environmental Management System, ­measures. “It can help authorities­ better over an IoT platform to provide information Smart Energy Management System and analyse risk areas, predict ­potential on temperature, moisture, conductivity and Smart Plantation System, respectively – will ­disasters and provide an early warning soil nutritional values to farmers. benefit these industries which have been system. In the event of a flood, the system ­underserved by IoT players so far. can transmit relevant information on Chia said Microlink will be raising ­awareness ­affected areas with images overlaid onto and promoting the availability of these three “There are obvious gaps in the market maps in real time,” Chia said. IoT solutions and periodically share case for effective IoT solutions for different studies and new adoptions. “Microlink is ­segments of the industry,” said Chia Yong The Smart Energy Management System focused on helping enterprises in different­ Wei, group CEO, Microlink. “Recognising ­captures and monitors energy consumption­ sectors grow by developing tools that help this, Microlink’s ­enterprise solutions division from all devices in a building’s power address the gaps in the ICT solutions ­developed applications that can accelerate, circuit in real time. The data is then market, especially in the area of IoT. Our mitigate and resolve issues that lacked the ­analysed to help building managers make team will continue to design applications right tools until today.” ­analytics-backed decisions­ to better that not only solve issues and increase manage energy ­consumption across ­efficiency but are also cost effective by Malaysia receives an average 250cm rain- ­different sections­ or buildings.­ “Most fall per year and floods recur after heavy or ­businesses already have the data,” Chia being subscription-based and available on ­prolonged rainfall. In January, an ­estimated said. “What they need is an IoT solution cloud. Organisations of all sizes can take 15,000 people in Sabah and Perak were that can analyse that data to help them advantage of flexible cost structures while ­evacuated due to floods. Most ­recently make the right decisions to reduce energy adding value,” said Chia.

For more information, visit www.microlink.com.my

JUNE 2017 | www.resellermalaysia.my Reseller Malaysia 7 News

Outsourcing Malaysia opens office in Iskandar Malaysia

N ational ICT Association of Malaysia ­intellectual property legal frameworks and Azman added that shared services activities (PIKOM) chapter Outsourcing Malaysia more. are one of MIDA’s focus areas. “Companies (OM) launched its southern office in Iskandar that incorporate shared services activities in Malaysia in tandem with the rapid growth of Presently, GBS Iskandar has facilitated nine Malaysia as part of their qualifying services­ the Global Business Services (GBS) and companies setting up outsourcing centres are eligible for the Principal Hub (PH) Shared Services and Outsourcing (SSO) and back office operations. They are Frost scheme introduced in 2015. As at December ­industry there. & Sullivan, Courts Asia, Vistra, Imagineering 2016, MIDA approved a total of 19 PH Institute, Nityo Infotech, Odinsoft, Brandt ­companies, representing a diverse spectrum As part of OM’s initiative to establish International, VTC, and DayThree. The latter of industries, ranging from E&E, F&B, oil and world-class GBS ecosystems across three are OM member companies. gas, as well as consumer products. Malaysia, the office will facilitate the local ­industry’s growth. The Malaysian Investment GBS Iskandar is poised to strengthen “The migration of shared services functions­ Development Authority (MIDA) and i2M Malaysia’s competitiveness and capture has led to the creation of high-value job Ventures Sdn Bhd are among OM’s strategic a larger share of the growing GBS market, opportunities which, in the long run, will partners responsible for developing strategic­ expected to reach RM6.5bn by 2020. To enhance the quality of Malaysia’s talent investment promotion initiatives for GBS and date, it created over 2,800 professional jobs pool through exposure to international best SSO sectors in Iskandar Puteri, Iskandar within the GBS sector while successfully­ ­practices and standards,” he said. Malaysia. attracting over RM1.4bn in committed OM chairman, Cheah Kok Hoong, said with investments. I2M Ventures is a wholly-owned subsidiary­ Iskandar Puteri’s strategic location as the of Khazanah Nasional Bhd and operates World’s Best Nearshore to Singapore, its “As a permanent member of the GBS the GBS Iskandar initiative, a specialised­ lower cost base, the availability of a highly Iskandar steering committee, MIDA welcomes­ program to help businesses set up skilled, multilingual talent pool and the the presence of Outsourcing Malaysia to our GBS operations in Iskandar Puteri. The ­government’s many incentives, GBS Iskandar common goal of ­building a world-class busi- ­initiative offers expert facilitation for GBS is poised to grow. “It will become the ideal ness environment in Malaysia,” said Dato’ ­requirements, covering key areas such as business services hub for multinational Azman Mahmud, CEO, MIDA. “Being one of talent, infrastructure, livability, and incentives. ­companies,” he said. the drivers to position Malaysia as a global The OM office will also support ­industry hub for high-value ­outsourcing, OM adds to “We look forward to our continued members in Iskandar Puteri through our ongoing efforts to create high-value and ­collaboration with MIDA, OM and other the GBS Iskandar initiative. It will work knowledge-based jobs in Malaysia. Its pres- ­partnering agencies as well as the Johor closely with the government and GBS ence here will further catalyse the growth of state government to attract more quality ­companies to develop key areas such as Iskandar Puteri as a thriving business services ­investments into Iskandar Puteri,” said industry knowledge,­ talent pool, technology, hub in the region.” Zulfiqar Zainuddin, managing director, i2M.

From left: Justin J Anthony, director, OM; Anthony Raja Devadoss, deputy chair, OM; Zulfiqar Zainuddin, managing director, i2M Ventures; Dato’ Azman Mahmud, CEO, MIDA; Cheah Kok Hoong, chairman, OM; Tuan Haji Mahadon Marnin, general manager, Johor State Investment Centre (JSIC); Datuk Khairil Anwar, CEO, Iskandar Investment Bhd (IIB); and, Zulai- fah Abdul Ghani, CFO, Medini Iskandar Malaysia (MIM)

8 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 News

Schneider Electric launches IoT platform

From left: Jean Baptiste, vice president EcoBuilding, Schneider Electric APJ; Lim Fang Wei, managing director at Naluri Merpati Sdn Bhd; Deric Wong, general manager, TMS ­Energy Sdn Bhd; and Soo Pow Leong, Schneider Electric country president. E nergy management and automation beyond 2020,” he said. “It will also support business sector and industry customers. The specialist Schneider Electric introduced the upcoming strategy of the Ministry of program is a worldwide network of partner a next generation, open and interoperable International Trade and Industry (MITI) companies that have been trained and platform for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. for Industry 4.0, which is expected to help certified by Schneider Electric, to have strong The EcoStruxure platform is designed to Malaysia’s economy generate RM2 trillion skills in building control, power ­management help customers in the building, grid, industry within the next seven to eight years, creating and energy efficiency. Partner companies will and datacentre sectors to implement large- new jobs and developing talent.” offer local expertise and support to address scale integrated IoT-enabled solutions. the specific needs or challenges of shared “Schneider Electric has deep domain customers in Malaysia, to help maximise the Touted as “innovation at every level,” expertise and portfolio of tested core benefits from IoT-enabled solutions. EcoStruxure comprises three layers. The solutions for buildings, grid, industry and first layer consists of connected products ­datacentre customers. EcoStruxure extends Among its local partners are TMS Energy such as intelligent sensors, circuit breakers our capabilities. We can now help customers Sdn Bhd and Naluri Merpati Sdn Bhd. and actuators. These devices have efficiently integrate the operational and embedded intelligence­ and connectivity, and ­information technologies. They can receive Lim Fang Wei, managing director, Naluri can transmit actionable data. key data and analyse it locally to enable Merpati said his company has been enjoying smart and profitable operations with insight success in applying IoT to cooler units found The second layer is the edge control, on the premise or over mobile devices for in commercial buildings to better manage their that lets users manage those devices better risk mitigation from anywhere,” he operations and reduce costs. remotely, both on-premises and from the said. cloud, depending on their needs. This layer Deric Wong, general manager, TMS includes connected control platforms with Schneider Electric also announced its Energy Sdn Bhd shared that his company remote access, advanced ­automation EcoXpert Partner Program for Malaysia to ­specialises in monitoring power usage in and operator override capabilities. It develop talent, create deep skills in IoT and buildings. He noted that this is a huge part also provides local control and firewall create locally-relevant IoT solutions for the of the operating expenses of buildings. ­protection, which is important for mission-­ critical applications.

The third layer comprises applications, analytics and services. EcoStruxure provides a range of vendor-agnostic apps, analytics and services on open IP protocols, so that the platform works with any hardware, system or control. Schneider Electric spent the past five years developing and refining this layer, seen as a crucial piece in IoT technology, said Soo Pow Leong, country president, Schneider Electric Malaysia at a media briefing.

“EcoStruxure’s timely introduction to the market will support Malaysia’s National IoT Strategic Roadmap which aims to create RM42.5bn in gross national income

JUNE 2017 | www.resellermalaysia.my Reseller Malaysia 9 News

MS Azure to enhance support for SAP Dell EMC sticks workloads with SC, Unity lines,

M icrosoft announced a series of enhancements to handle SAP workloads. In a says no conflict company blog, Jason Zander, corporate vice president, Microsoft Azure Team, said the company made several advancements to ensure Azure is the best public cloud for SAP D ell EMC is sticking to its decision to HANA workloads. maintain two product lines that overlap each other. The company argues Zander announced Azure’s support for running some of the largest public cloud estates of that the legacy Dell SC Compellent series SAP HANA across both virtual machines and large instance offerings. To handle SAP HANA and EMC Unity storage series are thriving and other high-end database workloads, Azure is introducing M-Series virtual machines­ side-by-side and not hurting each other. powered by Intel Xeon processor E7-8890 v3. They support single node ­configurations up to 3.5TB memory. Customers can quickly spin up a new virtual machine to test a new “We are fully committed to our entire mid- ­business process scenario and turn it off when the testing is done. This helps avoid range product family. Each product solves ­incurring additional costs. different customer problems and is suited Microsoft also announced a range of new SAP HANA on Azure Large Instances SKUs, for different environments. Customers can powered by Intel Xeon processor E7-8890 v4 from 4TB to 20TB memory. These are buy both Dell EMC Unity and SC series ­targeted at customers using OLTP landscapes like SAP S/4HANA or SoH, where real-time today and with continued confidence in transactional business applications need to scale up power within a single node. Azure will the future,” said Craig Bernero, senior vice also support SAP HANA large instances up to 60TB for potential future use by applications president, product development, Dell EMC such as SAP BW and SAP BW/4HANA. in a company blog (https://blog.dellemc. com/en-us/one-two-punch-drives-mid- range-storage-momentum/).

He added that the decision to keep both lines was validated by the market. Dell EMC’s worldwide external mid-range storage revenue grew 32.8% over the ­previous quarter, with double-digit growth for both Unity and SC. It also saw a “substantial­ increase” in total customers for both series between Q3 and Q4.

“Customers are choosing these solutions to help modernise their datacentres and simplify how business data is managed while reducing TCO of the IT assets that power the business,” Bernero said.

The SC series is positioned as a ­value-priced line for small-and-mid-sized businesses, especially those already using Dell servers. It is available as all-flash, disk-only and hybrid of both. The Unity range is intended as a general-purpose block and file storage and available as all-flash, converged, hybrid and virtual. Zander said SAP’s platform-as-a-service offering is now available as a public preview hosted on Azure. Customers can use the pre-built SAP Cloud Platform components to build Bernero said Dell EMC recently introduced­ business applications while leveraging Azure’s broader toolset. a new program, All-Flash Storage Efficiency Guarantee, to customers of “In cooperation with SAP, we are working to make Azure available as a deployment option XtremIO, VMAX All Flash, Unity and SC for SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud, SAP’s secure managed cloud offering,” Zander wrote. series all-flash array configurations. It “Customers will benefit from Azure’s enterprise-proven compliance and security, in addition guarantees an effective logical storage to close connections between their other Azure workloads and SAP solutions running on capacity at least four times the ­physical Azure in SAP HANA Enterprise Cloud.” capacity of the drives purchased in Zander also said the integration of SAP Cloud Platform Identity Authentication Services their new array. “The end result is that with Azure Active Directory. This lets customers implement a web-based single sign-on ­customers can squeeze more data into across all SAP solutions that integrate with SAP Cloud Platform Identity Authentication. less space with less management effort, SAP SaaS solutions such as Concur and SAP SuccessFactors, and core SAP NetWeaver- while aggressively reducing start-up and based solutions or SAP HANA are also integrated with Azure Active Directory. ­lifecycle costs,” he said.

10 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 News

Survey: Organisations ramping up digital investment

D espite 64% of organisations adjusting opportunity, driving their organisation to their technology strategy due to global become more nimble and digital. CIOs are political and economic uncertainty, 89% are ­becoming increasingly influential as CEOs maintaining or ramping up investment in and boards turn to them to navigate the ­innovation, including digital labour with 52% ­complexity, threat and opportunity which a investing in more nimble technology plat- digital world represents,” Ellis said. forms to help their organisation innovate and adapt. “Organisations have moved on from ­strategizing and talking about digital This was revealed in the 2017 Harvey Nash/ to ­actually making it happen. We are KPMG CIO Survey. The survey found that now seeing widespread and active ­although economic ­uncertainty is making ­implementation,” said Lisa Heneghan, business planning difficult, digital ­strategies global head of technology, management are increasingly a part of business.­ ­consulting, KPMG. “Digital leaders are taking The number of organisations that have a pragmatic­ approach,­ applying technology­ enterprise-wide­ digital strategies increased and automation across their business, 52% over the last two years; organisations­ ­including in back office functions to create a that now have a chief digital officer platform for broader transformation.” ­increased 39% in the past year; and demand Additional findings from the survey include: for Enterprise Architects, the fastest growing technology skill this year, grew 26% over Digital leadership has changed • 18% CIOs report their organisation have 2016. “very effective” digital strategies. These Albert Ellis Cybersecurity vulnerability is at an all-time ­organisations are almost twice as likely high, with 32% organisation subjected­ to a to lead innovation across the business Female CIOs receive salary boost (41% vs. 23%) and investing at four • Female CIOs are far more likely to have major cyberattack in the past 24 months, received a salary increase than male a 45% increase from 2013. Only 21% of times the rate of non-leaders in cognitive automation (25% vs. 7%) CIOs (42% and 32%, respectively) but ­respondents said they were “very well” the number of women in IT leadership 61% of CIOs from larger organisations ­prepared to respond to these attacks, • remains low at 9%, unchanged from last are already investing or planning to down from 29% in 2014. The biggest jump year in threats came from insider attacks which ­invest in digital labour rose from 40% last year to 47%. Big data/analytics remains the most in-­ CIOs love their jobs “Making a success of technology has always CIOs who are “very fulfilled” in their role demand skill • The fastest growing demand for been challenging,” said Albert Ellis, CEO, rose from 33% in 2015 to 39% • a technology­ skill is enterprise Harvey Nash group. “This year’s survey says 71% of CIOs believe their role is • ­architecture, but big data analytics that it has just gotten harder still. ­becoming more strategic ­remained the most in-demand skill at 92% of CIOs joined a board meeting in “Layered on top of technology advances is • 42%, up 8% over last year the past 12 months a political and economic landscape that is dynamic and changing fast. Many technology­ • 59% of CIOs last just five years or less, Complex IT projects increase risk of failure although many want to stay longer executives are turning this uncertainty­ into monumentally • 61% of CIOs said IT projects are more complex than they were five years ago • Weak ownership (46%), overly optimistic approach (40%) and unclear objectives Organisations have (40%) were the main reasons for the moved on from ­failure of IT projects ­strategizing and talking • 27% of CIOs said a lack of project talent­ about digital to ­actually was the cause of project failure but making it ­happen. ­project management skills were absent from the CIOs top list of technology skills We are now seeing needed in 2017, dropping a staggering ­widespread and active 19% from last year implementation The 2017 Harvey Nash/KPMG CIO survey is the largest IT leadership survey in the world. The survey of 4,498 CIOs and technology leaders was conducted between December 19, 2016 and April 3, 2017, across 86 Lisa Heneghan countries.

JUNE 2017 | www.resellermalaysia.my Reseller Malaysia 11 News

Dell Technologies rolls out flexible IT NetApp to acquire­ ­consumption models two tech companies­

A t the recent Dell EMC World 2017, Dell Technologies announced new flexible to boost cloud ­consumption models to help organisations reduce up-front capital investment costs in their IT transformation, from desktops to datacentres. storage­ business

The consumption models cover a wide range of scenarios, such as ­implementing a hyper-converged­ infrastructure solution, planning a PC refresh or modernising a ­datacentre. This gives organisations more flexibility with their IT planning and strategy, said Dell Technologies in a statement. Organisations can scale their capacity according­ to business demands, respond to unpredictable spikes in demand or roll out new ­technologies incrementally without large up-front capital costs. Although many IT leaders worry about unforeseen costs and risks when adopting new N etApp acquired two companies that it technologies, organisations that do not invest in IT transformation initiatives risk falling expects to help grow its converged behind their competitors, said Howard Elias, president, Dell EMC services and IT. “With infrastructure and cloud storage business. flexible, simple and predictable payment solutions, we help organisations adopt technology The acquisitions were revealed during the that best suits their business needs today and a pay-as-you-go model for modernising and company’s fiscal 4Q17 financial analyst transforming IT,” he explained. call by George Kurian, NetApp’s chief ­executive officer. DFS Flex on Demand Initially available for all Dell EMC storage solutions. Customers pay only for the storage NetApp bought Immersive Partner Solutions capacity needed, thereby reducing costs of overprovisioning. Flex on Demand gives instant which develops software to ­validate ­multiple access to additional buffer capacity during spikes driven by the business, with payments converged ­infrastructures through their adjusted to match usage. lifecycles, and PlexiStor which develops­ ­software that converts off-the-shelf Dell Financial Services (DFS) offers a low capacity commitment and a flexible payment servers into high-­performance converged period. Customers can pay for what they consume and free up budgets for other projects, ­infrastructure offerings using ultra-low Dell Technologies said. DFS Flex on Demand is available now in select countries globally. latency persistent memory technologies.

DFS Cloud Flex for HCI Kurian said sales of NetApp’s all-flash Initially available for Dell EMC’s hyper-converged range of products, starting with Dell EMC FlexPod converged infrastructure helped VxRail Appliances and Dell EMC XC series. Cloud Flex for HCI customers can use cloud- to strengthen its Top 2 position in the like consumption model with simple monthly payments, build-on price reductions over time ­converged infrastructure market with a 44% and no upfront costs or obligation after the first year. year-over-year (y-o-y) growth in FlexPod revenue. Intellectual property­ from Immersive DFS Cloud Flex for HCI is available now for Dell EMC VxRail and Dell EMC XC Series and Partner Solutions will be ­­integrated into has planned availability for Q3 2017 in Dell EMC VxRack Systems. FlexPod solutions to further simplify and PC-as-a-Service, Dell EMC VDI Complete Solutions ­automate lifecycle management. PC-as-a-Service combines Dell Technologies’ latest PC hardware, software and end-to-end Kurian claimed NetApp is leading the services including deployment, management, security and support into a single price per ­industry in transitioning cloud-integrated seat per month. This helps reduce the burden and cost of IT management over the life solutions to flash. Its Q4 all-flash array cycle of the PC and gets end-users into new technologies faster. business grew almost 140% y-o-y to an Dell EMC VDI Complete Solutions help to reduce the common barriers to adoption of annualised run rate of US$1.7bn. ­virtualisation technologies. They combine the infrastructure, software and the option of “We entered into an agreement to acquire thin clients and services from a single vendor. Complete Solutions are powered by VMware PlexiStor, a company with technology and Horizon and based on VxRail Appliances or vSAN ReadyNodes so that customers can build expertise in ultra-low latency persistent their own VDI solution or buy a pre-configured end-to-end solution. memory. This differentiated intellectual PC-as-a-Service and Dell EMC VDI Complete Solutions are available now in select property will help us further accelerate ­countries globally. our leadership position and capture new ­application types and emerging work- Dell Technologies Transformational License Agreement (TLA) loads,” Kurian said. The TLA is a single, simple software agreement for licence and maintenance that makes annual spend more predictable and cost-effective. It is a highly customised ­software NetApp’s Q4 revenues hit $1.48bn, up 5% ­contract that gives flexibility in how software titles are consumed and maintained, quarter-over-quarter and 7% y-o-y. Net ­especially when requirements change over time. income was $190m, growing 30% over the previous quarter. In the same quarter last Pre-paid T-credits can be redeemed at any time for incremental software licences, as well as year, NetApp recorded a $8m loss. Full- professional, education and public cloud services, Dell Technologies said. Dell Technologies year revenue was $5.52bn, a slight drop Transformational License Agreement is available now in select countries globally. from $5.55bn the previous year.

12 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 News

WannaCry a reminder not to neglect basic cybersecurity

T he WannaCryptor ransomware that Also, be cautious of attachments, as they gained global attention recently is a may be malware-infected. It’s important to Cybercrime has quickly stark reminder for individuals, businesses check file extensions and to only open files become a major problem for and governments of the need to practice deemed safe and from legitimate sources,” businesses, ­governments good cybersecurity and stop repeating the the researchers warned. and citizens all over the same old basic security mistakes. Social media is the new hunting ground globe. While awareness of “Cybercrime has quickly become a major Many users still fail to adequately look after this multi-faceted threat is problem for businesses, governments and their social networks. A 2016 survey found increasing, we’re still making citizens all over the globe. While awareness 58% of people do not know how to update the same mistakes when it of this multi-faceted threat is increasing, their privacy settings. comes to cybersecurity we’re still making the same mistakes when it comes to cybersecurity,” said security As with email, always check the authenticity­ of the sender (do they look credible?), the company, ESET, citing a study by the Pew regular software updates, antivirus and message and the link (which will likely be Research Centre. even password managers, VPNs and secure shortened). Beware of trending hashtags ­encrypted messaging apps. ESET researchers highlighted five areas that too as many are now using them to trap users need to be aware of. ­unsuspecting Twitter and Facebook users Easy passwords trying to catch-up with the latest breaking Generic, guessable passwords can be The email ruse is nothing new news. easily cracked, and the impact can be Phishing via email has become incredibly­ worse if the same password is used across commonplace. Although criminals are ‘It won’t happen to me’ attitude several accounts. Brute-forcing passwords ­improving the “quality” of these emails, with The culture of complacency is the ­arguably is ­increasingly fast and easy for criminals some targeted emails – known as spear the biggest issue with security today, ESET today equipped with either huge computing phishing – looking incredibly authentic, most researchers said. CEOs and citizens alike power, or access to buy such expertise on do not (tell-tale signs include poor spelling, think they will not be targeted. This attitude­ the dark web. random email addresses and far-fetched often results in poor security habits, with claims that the recipient has won millions). individuals and organisations treating Weak passwords, such as 123456; ­password and WiFi security lightly. ­password; 12345678; and qwerty remain “Keep yourself safe by carefully checking commonplace. According to Forrester, 80% the recipient, the request, and use some This happens despite the fact that good of all attacks involve a weak or stolen common sense – search via Google rather ­cybersecurity can be achieved relatively­ password. than using the enclosed website address. easily, through good password hygiene, Some web providers now force users to ­generate random passwords or create complex ones. Regardless of whether they face such password policies, users should consider using a password manager, as well as passphrases, the researchers said.

A lack of updates There is always another software update for apps, operating systems or security solutions, be they on the desktop, laptop or mobile. Though many users may find the constant pop-ups irritating, they fail to ­understand the updates’ importance.

Failure to update effectively leaves ­software and devices vulnerable to attack as cyber- criminals look to exploit out-of-date flaws. This was how WannaCryptor ransomware compromised Britain’s National Health Service and Spain’s telco Telefonica and spread to other countries in Europe, United Arab Emirates and Asia.

“Had the affected organisations ­properly configured automatic operating system updates for all their PCs, they may not have been featured on WannaCryptor’s victim list,” ESET researchers said.

JUNE 2017 | www.resellermalaysia.my Reseller Malaysia 13 News

Barracuda offers 90-day free trial cloud Fusionex lands licence million-dollar­ deal for

C loud security and storage solutions provider Barracuda Networks announced an ­financial institution ­expansion to its Cloud Ready program to offer organisations a free cloud licence for Barracuda Web Application Firewall and Barracuda NextGen Firewall on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. IT buyers can secure their new or existing workloads in both AWS and Azure at no charge for 90 days.

The expanded program is based on feedback from Barracuda’s public cloud partners who wanted to offer the same capabilities to their customers, said Thiban Dharmalingam, ­regional manager, Barracuda Malaysia. “The program simplifies the process so that ­customers can move to the cloud faster, more cost effectively and with greater ­confidence,” he said. F usionex signed a million dollar multi- Barracuda’s Cloud Ready network and security solutions can be deployed natively year contract with an Asian financial and ­integrated fully with AWS and Azure to leverage the benefits of the cloud, such as institution to digitise its data management system. The company-wide integrated platform will enable the client’s various departments to work together with ­increased efficiency and speed of delivery, with data synchronisation to avoid over- laps and redundancy.

The program Fusionex said in a statement that the ­simplifies the contract is for the provision of the Giant process so that data ­management platform to facilitate customers can the client’s day-to-day loan origination move to the and servicing operations.­ It also covers cloud ­faster, the end-to-end corporate or personal loan more cost processes. ­effectively and The client provides corporate loans to with greater some of the largest companies in the confidence region. It ­processes applications and loans in the billions of dollars. Manual data management methods which were dated will be replaced, said Fusionex. Giant will provide powerful ­insights and summarise the client’s entire portfolio and transactions. It can consolidate and process varied data to unify the entire process and weed out inconsistencies.

Giant’s advanced analytics abilities can also augment the system with ­artificial ­auto-scaling, templated configurations, bootstrapping and data-logging. They are available ­intelligence (AI) capabilities. It can as pay-as-you-go licences directly through AWS and Azure marketplaces. ­consolidate various structured, semi-­ Barracuda’s cloud-enabled security suite lets organisations deploy applications and work- structured, and unstructured­ data types loads securely with the same capabilities and intuitive user interface, regardless of being and recommend­ actionable items to help on-premises or in the cloud. “Barracuda’s security solutions are purpose-built to bridge the the client form better lending strategies. gap between on-premises and cloud infrastructures,” said Thiban. “The deployment of Fusionex’s Giant The cloud can scale network infrastructures and application workloads without the same data management platform is ­intended cost and complexity of on-premises equipment. However, migrating to the cloud can be to ­exponentially improve the client’s a complicated process. Moving sensitive business applications to the cloud also creates ­operational performance and insight new security requirements. ­gathering,” said Ivan Teh, managing ­director and CEO, Fusionex. “We look “Most respondents in a recent Osterman Research study cited security concerns as the forward to getting the client started on most common barrier to cloud adoption, with primary concerns being data ­sovereignty their Big Data journey to better monitor and privacy (58%) and general risk control (54%),” said Thiban. “The Barracuda Web their ongoing business and strategise for Application Firewall provides the controls and has a very easy user interface, to configure the future by making informed decisions and provision it directly through the AWS Marketplace.” with the insights at hand.”

14 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 News

Dell EMC enhances products in SDS portfolio

While software-defined everything is a critical piece of IT transformation, the reality is that we’re still early with regards to the ability of enterprises to consume software-only offerings

D ell EMC announced new and enhanced high volumes of streaming IoT data called can get its customers up and running without software-defined storage (SDS) ­products Project Nautilus. It enables ­businesses lengthy design and build times. at the recent Dell EMC World 2017. The SDS to make ­real-time decisions based on portfolio is intended to help ­customers ­streaming device data from around the IsilonSD Edge enhancements ­modernise their datacentres to reduce IT world. It works seamlessly with ECS or IsilonSD Edge can now be deployed on a costs, get quicker returns on investment­ and Isilon for its storage tier and brings real-time single Dell EMC PowerEdge 14th generation deliver new digital capabilities. data processing ­capabilities to Dell EMC’s server to increase efficiency at a lower-cost ­unstructured storage platforms. entry point for smaller remote offices. The Dell EMC ScaleIO.Next updates to IsilonSD Edge platform include The enterprise-grade software-defined Ready Nodes portfolio enhancements support for VMware vSphere 6.5 and block storage solution ScaleIO will ­introduce Dell enhanced several products in its Ready ­deployment using virtual storage platforms new .Next features and enhancements. Nodes portfolio. like Dell EMC ScaleIO and VMware vSAN. These include improved efficiencies by ­delivering inline compression, enhanced The Dell EMC VMware vSAN Ready Nodes “While software-defined everything is a snapshots capabilities, granular thin pro- have been validated for PowerEdge 14th ­critical piece of IT transformation, the visioning and seamless volume migration; generation servers. These vSAN building reality is that we’re still early with regards better performance­ and reduced latency blocks can be easily scaled and are pre- to the ability of enterprises to consume using Dell EMC’s latest 14th generation configured with CPU, memory, network, I/O software-only­ offerings,” said Jeff Boudreau, PowerEdge servers with NVMe flash drives; controllers and storage to help customers ­president, storage, Dell EMC. “Offering SDS and simplified­ management for VMware with reduce deployment risks and lower the costs for on-premises and the cloud, in a variety support for VMware virtual volumes. of their vSAN environments. of deployment models including Ready Nodes, lets us meet customers where Dell EMC ECS updates The Dell EMC ScaleIO Ready Nodes combine they are today and take them where they ECS.Next will feature enhanced enterprise the ScaleIO software with preconfigured­ Dell need to be as they transform their IT and data protection, management and advanced EMC PowerEdge 14th generation servers. businesses.” analytics. The software has updated features such as With the ECS dedicated cloud service, simplified ­management with auto-­discovery, ECS.Next and ScaleIO.Next will be available­ ­customers can use ECS through a hybrid streamlined provisioning and storage globally in the second half of 2017. ECS cloud model. It is offered as a dedicated node-only ­deployment mode. dedicated cloud service and IsilonSD Edge single tenant hosted in a Virtustream data- are expected to be available globally in centre and combines private cloud control Dell EMC’s new Microsoft Storage Spaces 2Q17. Dell EMC ScaleIO Ready Nodes and with the agility and hands-off operations of Direct Ready Nodes are pre-configured VMware vSAN Ready Nodes are currently­ the public cloud. PowerEdge servers combined with Windows available. Dell EMC Microsoft Storage Server 2016’s Storage Spaces Direct and Spaces Direct Ready Nodes are available in Project Nautilus advanced feature sets. Windows Server June. The Ready Nodes enhancements for Dell EMC previewed a new software-­ Software Defined (WSSD) solutions use PowerEdge 14th generation servers will be defined solution for storing and analysing Microsoft-validated designs. Dell EMC said it available in mid-2017.

JUNE 2017 | www.resellermalaysia.my Reseller Malaysia 15 Feature Do or Die: SMEs need to digitise to thrive in the digital economy SMEs remain a relatively untapped market as far as digital ­transformation is concerned. We look at why this goldmine is waiting to be tapped. By Stephen Chin

S mall and medium enterprises (SMEs) “SMEs face struggles and challenges in Cost value. Can they innovate on the business employ 65.5% of Malaysia’s workforce. an age where technology is transforming model? Disruptors use creative ­approaches Yet it contributes only 36.3% to the national ­virtually every industry, sector and vertical. such as crowd sourcing, reverse auctions, gross domestic product (GDP). The Pressure from both large enterprises and transparency in pricing. ­disproportionate contribution of SMEs to the other SMEs does not help either,” notes GDP suggests that employee productivity KT Ong, country manager – Malaysia, Dell Experience value. Disruptors deliver exceptional can be improved. Interestingly, the adoption EMC. “SMEs need to compete against large value to the consumer. of ICT among SMEs is also low. IDC ­enterprises with deeper pockets, better Platform value. Traditional platforms such as ­estimated 73% of Malaysian SMEs have technology and greater business expertise, the physical marketplace – the pasar malam little to no ICT usage in their business while battling disruptive digital startups that and wet markets – are being replaced by operations. do not have legacy issues to complicate or the virtual. The currency of the digital age is limit them.” “In developed countries like Japan, SMEs’ content and information. contribution to GDP is around 50%. This A research commissioned by Dell Chai believes social media and big data can be achieved by digitisation. Improving Technologies found 52% of ­businesses in ­analytics are underutilised in the country. ­manufacturing processes, supply chains, Asia Pacific-Japan fear becoming obsolete in “There are about 500,000 retailers, F&B ­inventories, and customer relations can the next three to five years due to digital-born­ outlets in Malaysia. Not many are using improve the growth of SME contribution to startups; 83% believe digital startups will social media, I reckon. For example, do GDP,” says PIKOM chairman, Chin Chee Seong. pose a threat to their organisation. restaurants encourage diners to review their “Many Malaysian SMEs cite costs or lack of Albert Chai, managing director, Cisco Systems services while they are still dining there? awareness and understanding as reasons for (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, says the ­appreciation Do they offer ­discounts or incentives­ in this low adoption rate,” he says. of digitisation still has some ways to go ­exchange for on-the-spot­ reviews? These in Malaysia. However, he stressed that are used to drive traffic in the US and This represents a huge opportunity for ICT ­education is urgently needed to address they can be used to increase business­ in vendors and resellers as the market is long the digital economy and ­structural issues. Malaysia as well,” Chai notes. overdue for digitisation. “Cisco is doubling­ down on the SME market because we see them as future disruptors,” The Cisco-IMD research identified three A Matter of Necessity, Not he says. He cites a joint research by Cisco ­capabilities that companies need to have to Choice and business­ school IMD that showed 40% of survive or be disruptors. ­incumbents in any industry will be displaced SMEs continue to face stiff competition and due to digital disruption. “This should be Hyper-awareness in real-time. To know what rising operating costs. “Many are in survival­ music to the SMEs’ ears. If they can combine the customer is doing and how they are using mode right now due to the overall ­economic the cost, experience and platform values, they your products in real-time. For example, a sentiment and other external factors. can be the next Grab or Airbnb in the banking, shoe maker can embed sensors to measure However, the advent of new technologies retail, education, manufacturing or whatever the user’s gait, pace, terrain, running style such as cloud and e-­commerce will spur sector!” he said. and so forth. The system can send a note to Malaysian SMEs to adopt digitisation­ to stay the user’s phone to advise them on a better competitive. It is not a matter of choice but The study also identified three game brand or model of shoes that suits the runner’s necessity,” Chin says. ­changers in digital disruption style. Clothes can tell users when they need

16 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 Feature

­cleaning. A fridge can sense what items are SME. Cloud is a good example of this. It Economy Corporation (MDEC) was allocated­ running out and place orders to replenish them. presents a clear business value ­proposition RM162m to implement e-commerce­ of reduced CAPEX, pay as you use (for ­initiatives such as e-commerce ecosystem­ Informed decision-making. An intelligent better OPEX) and so on,” he explains. and Digital Maker Movement as well as system can analyse customer preferences, the introduction of a new location category when they shop, what they buy and so forth, Funding is not so much an issue as there called Malaysia Digital Hub. enabling restaurants to fine-tune menus or are options available through government ­manufacturers to adjust their production lines incentives and alternative funding options, PIKOM’s Chin urges SMEs to think regionally­ in real-time in response to customer demand. says Kevin Tai, credit risk director, Funding or globally, especially with the advent of Societies. The bigger concern, he says, is a the ASEAN Economic Community and e-­ Talent. Companies need to create lack of a clear business model. commerce which Malaysia is championing­ ­environments that attract talent and promote via the digital free trade zone (DFTZ). productivity, teamwork and collaboration. “SMEs come to us for financing and we “These are strong game changers for SMEs see a growing awareness on digitisation.­ going forward but they need to embrace the However, they are looking mostly at ­opportunities provided,” he says. Going Digital... or not? the business side – how to do more “SMEs find it a big challenge to be in the ­e-commerce­ or create apps to generate PIKOM has been promoting digitisation digital economy,” says Spencer Yeoh, deputy revenue. They are not thinking of ­adopting among SMEs and its members are also secretary general, SME Association of ICT for the back-end, to improve supply members of the SME association. “We Malaysia. “They are thinking of what they chain, invoicing and purchases,” Tai notes. run programmes like the SME Roadshow need to transform to participate in the digital to promote ICT. In January this year, we economy, and the challenges that come with “SMEs should first be clear on the business­ launched our new E-Commerce Malaysia the adoption of digital technology.” model they are planning to implement. chapter aimed at creating a vibrant Then only should they figure out how to ­e-commerce ecosystem in Malaysia that is According to Yeoh, many SMEs think “going ­incorporate technology into the business globally competitive,”­ Chin says. digital” is to merely own a PC, have Internet model. When they have a strategic plan, they access and email. “To them, the SME can see the value of digitisation,” he says. E-Commerce Malaysia will work closely with ­industry underwent a massive digitisation the National E-commerce Council (NECC) ­exercise on April 1, 2015: when the Goods “Having a detailed business plan and and MDEC, and align its programs to the and Services Tax (GST) was implemented! ­strategy is also important when applying National E-commerce Roadmap. Membership That’s when they had to put computers in for funding. We need to know where you are to this chapter is open to e-commerce their premises,” he says. going,” he adds. ­merchants, marketplaces, payment providers, ­logistics, and fulfilment players. Within the SME Association, there are two distinct age groups. About 70% belong to The Digital Economy beckons a group aged 50 and above who adhere The SME Association is determined to to traditional views regarding assets and educate and encourage its members to ­investment. “To them, investment is some- digitise so that they will not be frozen out thing physically tangible, such as land and of the digital economy. Yeoh adds that the buildings. In their accounts, these are fixed Malaysian government is doing a good job assets that appreciate in value. On the other with digitisation, such as the creation of an hand, computers, servers and content are e-trade hub with Alibaba to help solve the depreciated,” he says. problem of logistics and customs clearance.

“Hardware costs in starting up are high “I hope the initiative will help encourage and the value of content is difficult to SMEs to digitise and export their products.­ ­quantify. When SMEs apply for funding, say Products made by Malaysian SMEs will RM200,000, for digital transformation, can now be competing with SMEs from Japan, they verify that software development is Vietnam, India, China, and practically any- worth that much?” he asks. where in the world. As a comparison, ICT adoption by SMEs in Vietnam is 48%; India, Presently, Yeoh reckons the SMEs’ 60%; Indonesia, 90%. It is essential for ­participation in the digital economy is SMEs to take the next step. It is do or die,” Albert Chai, managing director, Cisco Systems (Malaysia) through engagement in social media such as says Yeoh. Sdn Bhd Facebook. “They promote their products on Facebook because it is free and also cloud- The government declared 2017 as the Year based,” he says. of the Startup and SME Promotion. In Budget 2017, a total of RM6.7bn was allocated for Social media and PIKOM’s Chin concurs that IT, like any asset, SME development to be implemented by big data analytics depreciates. “However, the flip side is also the various ministries and agencies. For the are underutilised in true. IT is an investment that can provide SME Masterplan, a total of RM70 million has returns on productivity, improve processes­ been allocated for the implementation of the Malaysia and customer experience. Increasingly, IT High Impact Programmes; RM350 million for can be an OPEX rather than CAPEX in an export promotion of SMEs. Malaysia Digital

JUNE 2017 | www.resellermalaysia.my Reseller Malaysia 17 Feature

­acquisition, has become the largest cyber­ security company in the world.

“Cisco is also making technology affordable­ by moving a lot of the technology to the cloud. You only need WiFi, you don’t need talent. This addresses the talent issue short-term.

“The best thing is, you can get analytics online – information on who your customers are, when they shop, what they buy, are they repeat customers? These analytics can help Spencer Yeoh, deputy secretary general, SME Association­ of Malaysia­ drive growth for many years,” he says. Kevin Tai, credit risk director, Funding Societies

threats to prevent breaches that can destroy Start Small a business. “With 1 million cyberattacks each day, SMEs must consider security­ Malaysian SMEs “Start small. Pay as you grow,” Chai ­strategies and solutions across their ­suggests. “Once you see the returns and will be competing ­infrastructure and endpoints,” he said. with SMEs from if there is a business case for going on-­ premises, then run it on-premises. The new From Dell EMC’s standpoint, digital around the world generation will be savvy with technology and ­business transformation should aim to analytics by then.” achieve the following core capabilities:

“Understandably, SMEs have limited • Agile product or service development to accelerate go-to-market readiness ­resources. They need to partner with Where have all the good • Ability to predict new opportunities with real-time ­techies gone? ­providers who can help them determine data and analytics what business transformation means for • Transparency to build customer trust SMEs also struggle with the issue of their companies and develop strategies ­attracting skilled workers or talent to • Personalised experience to engage and retain to revamp their IT, workplace and ­security customers­ manage their ICT systems. “IT people are ­approach that will move their business Using real-time analytics for better decision-making young people and most of them do not like • forward, regardless of where they are on the Protecting business assets and people from cyber to work for small companies,” Yeoh says. • transformation curve,” says Dell EMC’s Ong. threats

To make matters worse, there is a ­shortage Dell EMC outlined three areas that SMES Both Cisco and Dell EMC work through their of skilled IT workers in the country. MDEC should consider in their digitisation plan: ­reseller channels to achieve their goals. reported that there are only 300 data ­scientists in the country and set a goal to IT transformation. SMEs should ­modernise “Our channels are SMEs,” Chai says. “We have raise 2,000 data scientists and 16,000 data their infrastructure, automate IT service 2,500 SMEs in Malaysia who are also resellers. professionals by 2020. ­delivery and transform people and We are digitising them. We have the ­technology ­processes. Businesses will experience and financing platform. We are making it SMEs are also concerned with data ­security ­exponential growth in digital data. “This ­affordable and we have the talent. and they lack awareness of it. “Some of my data, and the information they contain, members expressed concerns about their becomes a company’s most precious asset “Cloud computing has put million-dollar tools data ‘flying about’ in the Internet. ‘Is my data over time,” Ong says. and applications into the hands of every- safe? Can you unplug the cable after work Workforce transformation. Enabling the one. ­Everyone can be an online retailer, an to prevent info from leaking out?’ They are workforce with technology can bring high ­e-commerce player. Cloud drives the landscape still struggling to understand cybersecurity,” ­performance and excellence. “Employee of digital,” he says. he observes. ­experience, customer experience and revenue Dell EMC’s go-to-market strategy for SMEs growth are decisively linked,” Ong says. Cisco’s Chai challenges SMEs to change ­relies on its reseller channels. “Through our Security transformation. As SMEs grow, they their paradigm. “In a digital world, every channel partners, we can assist customers must stay ahead of rapidly evolving cyber company is a technology company. Every throughout their digitisation journey. We also company, be it an SME, a big retail giant, support our channel partners in creating market is first and foremost a technology company awareness among SMEs by hosting joint events who has expertise in education, retail, and activities­ such as roadshows, workshops, ­manufacturing and so forth. And every seminars and others. company is also a security company. “Dell EMC Partner Program (DEPP) launched “Without technology and security, there recently enables the company’s entire partner can be no sustainable business model and ecosystem – solution providers, cloud service no digital economy. Security is not a cost providers, strategic outsources, OEM solutions, but an enabler – it allows us to connect systems integrators, and distribution partners – our servers to things,” he says. “This is to sell and work with the full Dell EMC portfolio,” why Cisco, through organic growth and KT Ong, country manager – Malaysia, Dell EMC says Ong.

18 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 Products

HID Global introduces mobile authenticator app

I dentity solutions provider HID Global managing director, IAM ­solutions, HID ­Global. ­Authentication system will send a notification ­announced a new app, HID Approve, that “It simplifies and empowers­ consumers to to the consumer’s mobile device to request turns a mobile device into an authenticator better protect their finances, reduce fraud approval for the transaction or login attempt. for online access and transaction requests, and have peace of mind.” The user swipes to accept or reject it. HID such as digital banking transactions and Approve can be deployed as a turnkey option ­corporate VPN access. The company says Every time a transaction or access is that is fully managed by HID Global or as a this adds a new level of trust for consumers ­attempted online, HID Global’s ActivID software development kit to be integrated into and employees­ to transact securely. existing corporate apps.

The HID Approve mobile app combines public An App that HID Approve features include flexible policy­ key-based cryptography and push technology, customisation, robust security and data with multi-factor authentication capabilities. turns a mobile device into an ­analytics. It also creates an audit trail HID Global said the app is far more intuitive for ­financial institutions to comply with and user-friendly than traditional methods of authenticator­ ­regulations. This platform also powers HID’s authentication. This helps increase cyber- for online access one-time password token portfolio. security for digital business and ­enterprises and transaction while improving customer and employee requests, such The HID Approve mobile app is available ­satisfaction. as digital banking today from Apple iTunes and Google Play “HID Approve will transform secure digital transactions and stores. HID Global’s Asia Pacific operations transactions in ways similar to what Uber did corporate VPN are supported by offices in Australia, China, for car service and mobile­ keys did for hotel access. Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, check-in,” said Brad Jarvis,­ vice president and ­Singapore and Thailand.

VMware, Google extend partnership to push Chromebooks

V Mware announced an expanded ­deploying, configuring and securing web and VMware is also working on unifying native ­partnership with Google to accelerate software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications.­ ­Android applications. Windows applications the adoption of Chromebooks. It will use can be delivered through VMware Horizon 7 ­VMware Workspace One to enable One-click “With Chrome OS we continue to see and Horizon Cloud virtual applications and secure authentication and management of ­momentum in the enterprise, given our efforts­ desktops, and provisioned through Workspace applications for organisations deploying to deliver speed, security, simplicity and One. End users require only a single sign-on Chromebooks. shareability to customers,” said Rajen Sheth, to a digital workspace and access all the director of product management, Chrome ­business and productivity applications they Workspace One is a platform that unifies OS, Google. “From Windows to web to mobile­ need. endpoint management for IT. End users get apps, this partnership with VMware and a unified access experience and security for ­integration with VMware Workspace One will Workspace One with VMware AirWatch and applications, be they cloud, web or virtual. let our customers easily and securely deploy Horizon support for Chromebook are available­ applications on Chrome OS devices.” immediately. “VMware has been working with Google since 2015 to offer secure Android devices and applications, most recently with advanced support for Android Enterprise,” said Sumit Dhawan, senior vice president and general manager, end-user computing, VMware. “This partnership shows our commitment to give customers the flexibility to pick the device of their choice and enabling delivery of any ­application on any device to end users.”

Chrome OS provides multiple layers of ­protection including security modules such as TPM chips specialised for encryption, verified­ boot to check for compromises, sandboxing for containing threats and full disk encryption for data protection. Combined with Workspace One on Chromebooks, IT administrators­ get additional security capabilities when

JUNE 2017 | www.resellermalaysia.my Reseller Malaysia 19 Products

Qualcomm boasts Snapdragon Mobile PC platform, Intel ­unfazed

Q ualcomm is confident it has a PC game to be smaller than conventional PC laptop Samsung Galaxy Book, Mi Notebook Air changer on its hands with the motherboards. This could lead to more room 13.3 and Lenovo ThinkPad L470 are great Snapdragon 835 processor which forms the for the battery, lighter weight, smaller sizes examples with powerful Intel performance, basis of its Snapdragon Mobile PC platform. or a combination. full Windows experiences, world-class connectivity and long battery life in The Snapdragon 835’s integrated design The new class of “Always Connected amazingly thin, light PCs,” it said. consists of a CPU, GPU, LTE modem, DSP, PCs” may face difficulty overcoming the audio, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, PMIC and GPS. already-established Chromebook which The company added that it is investing in Merging these components will help increase has addressed the same shortcomings eSIM and LTE technologies, not different performance, reduce operating temperatures that Qualcomm said are drawbacks to from what Qualcomm said it is offering. and consume less power. conventional Windows laptops. The main However, Intel’s XMM 7260 and upcoming differentiator appears to be Snapdragon’s XMM 7360 modems fall short of X16’s Qualcomm said PCs built with these chips LTE connectivity which Chromebooks lack, claimed gigabit peak speeds. will increase battery life 50% more than and price. Qualcomm estimated Snapdragon standard x86 systems with up to five times 835 notebooks to range from US$400-700, To drive home its point at Computex, Intel longer standby times. Thanks to their LTE while a Chromebook may be bought for less senior vice president and general manager, connectivity, such PCs will also be able to than $200. client computing group, Gregory Bryant sync mail and receive notifications while in invited Asus chairman Jonney Shih to sleep mode, just like mobile phones. Intel responded quickly and not-so-subtly unveil his “always connected” thin and light with a press statement that its processors 2-in-1 device, codenamed Kukuna, which At the recent Computex in Taipei, Qualcomm already power more than 30 “always is powered by Intel Core processors and demonstrated a Snapdragon 835 system connected” PCs on the market. “The features Intel’s LTE modem. as proof of concept. It was shown to run Microsoft Office and legacy x86 programs while connected via LTE. The system ran on Windows 10 for ARM, an improved version of Windows RT which was originally introduced with the first Surface tablet. The new iteration is a full desktop 64-bit version capable of running Universal Windows Platform apps from the Store and Win32 desktop applications through x86 emulation.

Asus, HP and Lenovo announced plans to build Snapdragon Mobile PC systems but did not disclose details with regards to time frame and pricing. Due to the Snapdragon 835’s high level of integration, Gregory Bryant (left), Intel senior vice president and general manager, client computing group, smiles as Asus chairman Snapdragon PC motherboards are expected Jonney Shih unveils “Kukuna”

20 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 Products

Epson launches VMware to offer Horizon Cloud on Azure industrial-strength labeller E pson launched its next-generation ­industrial labeller, the Epson Label- Works LW-Z900FK. The robust device prints labels for industrial use, from network cabling for identification to warehouse and fieldwork.

The printed labels can withstand exposure to heat, cold and wet conditions. They can stick to most surfaces including curved surfaces,­ glass and stainless steel.

The labeller has an option for mix-length ­printing, to give users the convenience of creating labels of variable lengths in a ­single batch. Designed for tough ­industrial ­environments, the printer has a large ­handle and uses a shock- and scratch-­ durable ­elastomer material for drop impact resistance.­ V Mware announced it will deliver VMware Horizon cloud on Microsoft Azure. This ­integration will help its customers move to Windows 10 and bring VMware virtual The multi-faceted styling makes it easy desktops and applications to Azure in the enterprise. to hold with one hand or two. It also has a ­magnetic mount for hands-free use. “The addition of Horizon Cloud on Azure puts VMware in a unique position to offer ­customers several infrastructure options for virtual desktops and applications with the The PC-compatible LW-Z900FK prints at a ­flexibility to move between different platforms,” said Sumit Dhawan, senior vice president resolution of 360dpi for high-quality labels and general manager, end-user computing, VMware in a statement. “This is an example of and is compatible with die-cut labels. Tape VMware executing against its cross-cloud strategy and bringing innovation to the desktop- cartridges will be loaded from the front to let as-a-service (DaaS) category it pioneered in 2009.” users preview before printing. Tape-­saving features include a reduced lead margin of Horizon Cloud uses a single cloud control plane to let customers choose their preferred 4mm and the auto tape rewind function that ­infrastructure for delivering and managing virtual desktops and applications. Customers retracts excess tape for cost savings, for a can choose from several deployment options and dynamically switch if use cases change, lower total cost of ownership. employees move or economics shift.

The LW-Z900FK prints at 35mm a second. Horizon Cloud’s options include: It supports options to pick labels as it prints Fully-managed public cloud infrastructure from VMware. Organisations can outsource­ or to print continuously. A feature called management of infrastructure to the cloud for a DaaS experience. Drop-Stop holds on to a label to prevent it Leverage public cloud infrastructure from Microsoft. Organisations with an Azure from ­falling after it is cut; the Pick-and-Print ­subscription can connect to Horizon Cloud to deliver and manage Horizon virtual desktops ­feature automatically pauses printing to pick and applications. the ­label and resumes after the label is ­removed. It even makes a half-cut to make Support for on-premises infrastructure via hyper-converged infrastructure appliances. the label ­easier to peel. This is intended for organisations that desire greater control over their virtual desktop ­infrastructure and ideal for those with tight security or performance requirements. The labeller comes with a variety of short- cut keys to easily configure label printouts, “Enterprises all over the world are rapidly looking to the cloud for their IT solutions,” said such as for wire wrap, punch block, patch Steven Guggenheimer, corporate vice president, developer and platform evangelism, panel, cable­ flag and others. The bundled ­Microsoft. “We are excited to see VMware bring their Horizon Cloud offering and enterprise Epson Label­ Editor software offers over 70 customers to Azure.” pre-­installed templates for custom ­labels. ­Users can also import barcodes and images­ “DaaS matured over the years and today offers cost savings, performance and agility that for printing. appeal to businesses looking for a modern desktop strategy,” said Robert Young, research director, IDC. “The addition of a major cloud platform such as Azure can accelerate the Epson is offering a variety of label styles, adoption of Horizon among customers searching for a different way to manage and deliver ­sizes (standard width starts at 36mm) and Windows 10 desktops and applications.” ­colours for printing application-specific­ ­labels, such as cable wraps, die-cut, VMware Horizon Cloud on Microsoft Azure is expected to be available in the second half ­magnetic and heat shrink tubes. of 2017.

JUNE 2017 | www.resellermalaysia.my Reseller Malaysia 21 Products

VMware unveils IoT management solution

V Mware introduced VMware Pulse IoT ­opportunity to collaborate as they embrace “Our customers are looking for faster, ­Center, a secure enterprise-grade IoT to improve operations within their business­ ­real-time analysis of the massive amount of ­Internet of Things (IoT) infrastructure while generating new forms of revenue,” said data produced by devices on their networks­ to ­management solution that lets IT and Mimi Spier, vice president, IoT, VMware. perform immediate, smart decision-making,”­ ­operational ­technology (OT) teams have said Andy Rhodes, vice president and ­general ­complete control of their IoT infrastructure Pulse IoT Center leverages technologies­ from manager, Internet of Things, Dell. “We know and things. both VMware AirWatch for ­device ­management that intelligent computing at the edge of the and VMware vRealize ­Operations for network is critical to enhancing­ customer­ Pulse IoT Center helps customers more ­infrastructure monitoring and troubleshooting. ­experience and accelerating­ business­ growth. ­efficiently manage, operate, scale and ­protect­ It is built to meet the needs of both IT and OT Pulse IoT Center will help our ­customers their IoT projects from the edge to the cloud. teams while supporting a broad range of edge ­simplify the management of all their data Gartner estimates through 2020, 90% of IoT systems and their connected­ devices. and devices, and make their journey to digital projects will use some form of IoT gateway. transformation a reality.” IDC expects the global installed base of IoT It is available as an on-premises ­solution and endpoints to grow from 12.1bn at the end of a service offering. It is currently in ­private “We at Fujitsu welcome the launch of Pulse 2015 to over 30bn in 2020. As IoT becomes beta with customers across automotive,­ IoT Center, which we will integrate into our prevalent in enterprises, organisations need a ­entertainment, retail banking, healthcare and OTA Reprogramming Solution for connected­ simplified approach to manage, monitor and manufacturing industries, VMware revealed.­ cars,” said Shikou Kikuta, senior vice secure their infrastructure and data. Customers need to securely transfer and ­president and head of mobility IoT business analyse important data at the edge of the unit, ­Fujitsu Ltd. “Fujitsu and VMware will Pulse IoT Center simplifies the management­ network, for example, a vehicle, a remote oil also expand ­collaboration to provide more of IoT infrastructure. It also helps improve pump, a manufacturing factory floor or an ­secure and efficient­ IoT solutions, primarily its reliability by providing accurate and HVAC unit), to draw real-time intelligence and on mobility.”­ ­real-time visibility of the things’ health, so make smarter business decisions. that anomalies­ can be addressed proactively. Pulse IoT Center is expected to ­become Additionally, it enables security across things, VMware said Dell EMC will be offering Pulse ­available this year with pricing to be announced­ edge, network and applications to protect IoT Center as the preferred enterprise upon general availability. The solution will be both IoT infrastructure and data access. ­management and monitoring solution for sold as both a standalone solution by VMware Dell Edge Gateways, enabling customers to and partners as well as a bundled offering via “As enterprises look to transform into digital­ ­manage all their IoT devices through a single partners. businesses, IT and OT teams have the tool.

22 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 Feature It is time for Cloud 2.0 The cloud landscape is ever-evolving. IDC’s William Lee and Pranabesh Nath spoke to Reseller Malaysia about Cloud version 2.0 by Stephen Chin

I n the initial wave of digital ­transformation, on their core businesses. They can then He said enterprises need to jump in at some enterprises were encouraged­ to move ­accelerate business innovation and growth point. “Plan ahead, for the next five to 10 their systems to the cloud. The idea of sharing by rapidly providing and deploying these years, where you want to be. Look at what computing ­resources such as network cloud services.” you have and adopt the technology that ­infrastructure, servers, storage, application and suits you,” he advised. services was enticing. At the IDC Asia Pacific Enterprise Cloud Conference 2017, Pranabesh told Reseller The first benefit of cloud computing is Malaysia that a lot of companies in Malaysia The Multi-Cloud cost-savings. Enterprises do not need to have adopted some kind of cloud service. As an enterprise matures on its cloud invest in IT infrastructure and maintenance. “However, the core applications are not journey, it will be going multi-cloud. Everything on the cloud is provided as a there. This is because the leadership do “Enterprises can move their workload across service and enterprises merely have to pay not see the need to try being relevant for different cloud service providers (CSPs) for what they use. They can start small and tomorrow. because of standardisation and the use of scale up or down as their needs change. open standards across different platforms,” “They may be relevant today but will they added Lee. “Standardisation leads to work- Enterprises with traditional legacy IT tend be tomorrow? They should be concerned load portability and ease of ­integration to resist the move to cloud. They already that some other company will come and which actually reduces the complexity of have difficulty porting their systems to take away their business. We believe this is management for the enterprises. It also the cloud and have invested ­substantially what’s happening,” he warned. ­minimises vendor lock-in. Enterprises are in ­infrastructure over the years. The data free to work towards a more cost effective One way to stay relevant and keep with and a sense of security in having their cloud deployment,” Lee said. servers on premises made it difficult for the times is to move into a multi-cloud ­management to make the leap. ­environment, where the user can subscribe In a traditional IT environment, sourcing to the best service offerings from a variety from multiple vendors may lead to complex “There is still a lot of money to be made of cloud providers. ­compatibility and management issues. with traditional legacy IT in Malaysia,” said However, multi-cloud solutions are managed Pranabesh Nath, research director, IDC IDC predicted that by 2018, more than 60% of enterprise IT organisations will have by the respective cloud providers who are Malaysia. “Although there are reasons such responsible to ensure inter-operability. as regulations in some industries, the main ­committed to multi-cloud architecture. It said a cloud-first approach will become the most “Enterprises do not have to manage any- issue is awareness. The leadership in many thing,” Pranabesh explained. companies are unaware of what they can do common adoption choice in Asia Pacific (outside of Japan), with the deployment of with the cloud.” The real issue is whether enterprises have private and hybrid private cloud frameworks an IT plan. “Many companies started out within a multi-cloud architecture in 2017. without an IT plan. They have single-minded­ Cloud 2.0 Spending on cloud will overtake that on goals and purpose, instead of a strategy. “Cloud today is more than just porting ­traditional dedicated IT. They may want to only improve ­operational over legacy systems,” said William Lee, efficiency or implement a customer­ relations­ ­associate director,cloud services, IDC Asia Although technology is changing rapidly, management (CRM) system. They buy from Pacific. “Cloud version 2.0 is about providing waiting for it to settle is a poor reason for whichever cloud provider that happens ­business services via cloud. delaying IT transformation, Pranabesh said. “Technology is not going to slow down to come along. They later decide on an “These can be intra-enterprise as well as to wait for them. There are so many new ­organisation-wide strategy and find some inter-enterprise business processes. The ­innovations and opportunities every day and disparate systems may not work well ability to consume non-core processes as a there are even fewer reasons not to adopt ­together. However, they are not facing any service over cloud will let enterprises focus the new technology. complex challenges yet,” he said.

JUNE 2017 | www.resellermalaysia.my Reseller Malaysia 23 Feature

Even if the situation arises, Pranabesh is Commoditisation of the cloud will have enough differentiation of cloud not too concerned. “There will always be ­services to prevent price wars that force out new solutions in the market to address In Cloud version 1.0, infrastructure, ­platform the smaller players. this. In the future, there will be multi-clouds, and software were provided as a service ­industry clouds and so forth, and there will (IaaS, PaaS and SaaS respectively). To “In fact, the ecosystem-driven Cloud 2.0 be service providers who will step up and a certain extent, there has been some will create more opportunities for smaller say, ‘I can merge all these clouds together­ ­commoditisation of services, especially players to address the many niche needs of and offer a holistic view of the data,” he IaaS, said Lee. enterprises,” he said. said. “Enterprises should put together the best plan they can and move forward, rather “However, adopting open standards does than wait.” not mean there is no differentiation between Security concerns the cloud services. It merely makes the Security in the cloud has been a concern Lee said compatibility issues should be ­integration of services easier. Moving to from the very beginning. Conceding that minimal if open standards are adopted Cloud 2.0 where business processes are it is an age-old issue whenever cloud across the multiple vendors’ platforms. provided as cloud services, the service ­deployment is discussed, Lee said IT “Open source typically refer to software ­differentiation will be even greater because ­departments should be focussing on the whose source code is made available freely of the industry IP in these cloud services. causes of security­ breaches, both in cloud under some terms of a licensing agreement.­ and on-premises deployments. The issue is They may not necessarily conform to an “A typical mode of competition will have not about one being safer than the other. open standard. So long as common open big players focusing on providing more standards are adopted across multiple common larger scale business processes as “There are three core elements to security­ vendors’ platforms, both open source and a service. Smaller players will focus on the – people, process and technology. In terms proprietary software can still be compatible niche smaller scale business processes as of technology, CSPs will definitely have across platforms,” he said. a service,” said Lee. “I believe the market the edge over on-premises deployment

24 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 Feature

by ­enterprises. This is because they have the ­economies of scale and the ease and ­regularity of running security patches over cloud,” Lee said.

“In terms of processes, cloud security is an extension of security practices and ­processes with the enterprise’s security­ framework. Thus, it is no less secure than processes governing on-premises ­deployment. In fact, given the continuous ­development of cloud security standards and audits on CSPs, there will be ­stricter ­governance practices and processes in place at the CSPs’ sites than on most ­enterprises’ sites.

“Enterprises must realise that security is also the business of all CSPs. As such, all CSPs are as concerned, if not more, about security than enterprises,” he said. He added that people are the most common causes 2.0 of security breaches and that employees at the CSP side are likely more security-aware than those on the enterprise side. “In view of these three aspects, CSPs clearly can provide stronger security than most, if not all, the enterprises,” he concluded.

“Security concerns will persist, but this may be an emotional argument rather than logical. It boils down to the trust enterprises­ have on the CSPs,” Lee said. “Trusting a CSP with your data is like trusting the bank with your money.

“As the cloud market matures and ­reliable commonly accepted security standard emerge, these trust issues will be resolved eventually, much like the case with banks. By then, it will not be a question of keeping your money in the house or the bank but rather choosing the bank that gives you the best service based on your needs,” Lee said.

All CSPs are as concerned, if not more, about ­security than ­enterprises. CSPs clearly can pro- vide stronger ­security than most, if not all, the enterprises.

JUNE 2017 | www.resellermalaysia.my Reseller Malaysia 25 Column

Machine learning: the ­future of cyber security? As cyber threats grow in numbers and sophistication, the next generation of cyber­ security will likely be intelligent. By Rishi Kant, assistant manager, cyber security consultant, EC-Council Global Services

C yberspace is constantly under then change its behaviour based on the data NSPERISED ­tremendous pressure from cyber­ it was provided with. Even if you ran the criminals and malwares­ such as the recent same data through it again, it may give you WannaCry ransomware.­ Nowadays, keeping a different result, because it is adapting. or communicating­ data securely is more challenging than processing data. In supervised machine learning (Figure 1, on the bottom) two classes of known data (la- The arsenal of tools used by cyber­criminals belled as orange and blue) and unknown is undergoing a revolution with data data (grey) are run through the model and ­automation. Cybercriminals are now cyber the label is predicted. threat actors who can create, disseminate­ and penetrate a target’s defences using In unsupervised machine learning (on the SPERISED customisation tools to produce highly top) unlabelled data (grey) is grouped into ­intelligent never-seen-before malware. classes determined by the model. You begin with a bunch of unlabelled data and run Machine learning is a set of instructions them through a program. The program itself that adapts to the data input into it. Naïve comes up with what it thinks the classes ­algorithm, for example, that is run on a are. This is useful for tasks like anomaly ­particular set of data will give you a result. ­detection where you can run an ­unsupervised Class If it is run on the same set of data again, algorithm on a group of normal behaviour Class 2 it will give the same result. Machine learning­ and tell it to “learn the ­boundaries of the nknown has an adaptive component: if you run it on normal set of data.” Anything outside those IRE a piece of data, it will do something and boundaries could potentially be malicious.

26 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 Column

How Machine Learning Can Help organisations can pull larger amounts of data open source contributors are MLSec Project, ­Protect Us Effectively and Efficiently into the analysis. Especially in the case of secrepo’s datasets, python scikit, which can Cyber threat risk is increasing at a ­tremendous ­advanced threats, a lot of data is needed be used for the development of your own level because of the development­ of colossal­ ­before trends and problems can be spotted. unique defence system. numbers of new malware files ­every month. Zero-day threats put everyone – from The utilisation of machine learning in cyber­ The ancient signature-based cyber threat ­organisations to individuals – at risk of losing­ security is still in the early stages but the prevention approach­ and current­ approaches­ sensitive data via an unknown exploit. It’s ­results produced by these tools are more like heuristic search or behaviour-based­ ­virtually impossible to identify these threats ­accurate, bug/error free, generate far less ­prevention are no longer useful ­against­ before they result in a breach and cause false positives, and are effective in a very ­intelligent cyberattacks like advance ­significant damage. Machine learning can small period of time with less effort. ­ransomware attacks, which take advantage help track down these threats and stop them of already disclosed vulnerabilities to perform ­before they severely impact your operations. effective cyberattack­ vector with more mass destruction. Dealing with cyber challenges using Machine learning can help us with supervised­ ML-enriched tools or unsupervised decision learning against Big companies are investing enormous these advanced cyber threats for the amounts of funds in cybersecurity but their ­development of better defensive systems. processes are still not efficient. There are lot of fraud detection tools or cyber threat Attackers also use exploitation techniques. ­analytics available in market enriched with It is very challenging for traditional security machine learning power. These tools are approaches to detect these types of cyber­ ­developed based on ideal risk rating or attacks because the custom-built approach ­scenario. In risk management, every ­company is being used at levels never seen before. has its own process­ that classifies risks ­Machine learning can help by analysing data ­differently. at a larger scale by using deep learning, and has the advantage of more breadth than can There is lot of work done in cybersecurity Rishi Kant, assistant manager, cyber security consultant, be achieved by a human. More scale means enriched with machine learning. Some of the EC-Council Global Services

JUNE 2017 | www.resellermalaysia.my Reseller Malaysia 27 Survey

Modern Tech sers and their abits Tablet and Smartphone Ownership over Time rban Context of M-Payment sers of internet users aged - who of M-Payment sers who live in the personally own these devices following environments

100 rban

0 Suburban LOAL PROCESSIN 0 Rural Smartphone 0 Tablet

20

S CINA INDIA 20 20 20

globalwebindex.net uestion i e llwi eies y ersally globalwebindex.net uestion i e llwi series ae y se w Source lalee 201 201 aeraes arss all waes ay r a iemserie si yr e Source lalee e a year ase ere User e 1 201 ase 100 ile ayme Users ae 1

Paying or News or Magaine Content Online Travel App sage among acationers of internet users aged - who have paid for a subscription to of Vacationers who have used a travel app in the last month an online version of a magazine or a news service in the last month AE 20 - 2 2 - 2 2 TOTAL - - - North America Europe Asia Pacific 0 REION TOTAL 20

1 2 2

10 INCOME ottom 2 22 Mid 0 Latin Amercia Middle East Top 2 Africa Asia Pacific Latin Middle East North Europe America Africa America acationers are defined as internet users aged - who say they take vacations abroad at least once a year

globalwebindex.net uestion i e llwi yes lie e ae y ai globalwebindex.net uestion e wai wi ese is y e r i e as m ssrii a lie ersi a maaie ews serie aer eie a e same ime Use sial ewrs a messae ries Source lalee 201 ase 722 iere Users ae 1 Source lalee 201 ase 11 wier isirsUsers ae 1

Top 0 Purchase Drivers for 2 uyers Smartphone Ownership rowth Plan to Purchase of B2B Buyers who say the following most influences their decision of internet users who plan to purchase a mobile within the next months when purchasing productsservices for their businessdepartment Note Respondents chose only one option

0 elea isry wesie North Europe 2 America News sry 0 Asia erisemes i raiial meia e.. Newsaer Pacific 0 20 ersais wi ele rm e mayraiai a sial ewr Latin 0 America ales reseais Middle East ire mailis wi rmay irmai Africa rae mmiies reae y e mayraiai Current S sage of internet users who currently use the following operating systems on their phonte rae mmiyr isie a sial ewr serie y se Asia Pacific e mirli rile a mayraiai e.. wier Europe s i relea rae ress ri Latin America Middle East Africa 2 uyers are defined as internet users aged - who say they are responsible for purchasing i IT, telecoms or technology productsservices, or purchasing any other products and services for North America their businessdepartment 10 0 0 70 0

globalwebindex.net uestion e rasi rsseries r yr siess globalwebindex.net uestion e y la y a ew mile e r rae yr r earme wi e llwi sres ms ilees yr eisi Source eisi ea erai sysem rs yr mile Source lalee 1 lalee 201 ase 10 2 yers ae 1 2017 ase 2 la rase a 722 ere Users ae 1

28 Reseller Malaysia www.resellermalaysia.my | JUNE 2017 WORRIED ABOUT A DATA LEAK?

Full suite DLP solution Universal approach Covers all major data leaks channels. Safetica Agnostic approach frees Safetica from reliance is endpoint DLP with network DLP capabilities. on a particular set of protocols or applications.

Short time-to-benefit Clearly defined data policies Universal approach to data leak channels User selected Safe Areas create locations from brings the fastest user deployment in its class. which confidential data cannot leave, Safetica automatically takes care of the security. High level of tamper-resistance Exact time tracking Protects against manipulation by users with Opened doesn’t mean actively used. Safetica administrative rights. activity reports show the exact user time spent on websites or in applications. Covers all specialty escape channels Safetica protects data even from special Automatic evaluation and alerts functions such as printscreening, clipboard Safetica picks the most important data and stealing, virtual printing, file transformations, sends it to the assigned email, giving you archiving, and encryption. focused data without drowning in thousands

AXENTO ASIA SDN BHD | Avenue Business Centre 111 | Block E | Phileo Damansara 1 9, Jalan 16/11 | Off Jalan Damansara | 46350 Petaling Jaya | Selangor | Malaysia tel: +603 7493 5191 | email: [email protected] www.safetica.com Want to be seen ?

alaysia mly ies elsiely r ael arers aes ews res ieriews a rmis ailale aiwie r mre irmai lease r wesie a www.resellermalaysia.my. ailale i iere lie larms s. r a im ia Nea|iaresellermalaysia.my|0 12 20 1171 |0 7 012