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Hong Kong’s source of IT insight www.cw.com.hk December 2018 • Price HK$50
The Year of the Boar
Break on through to the other side
Published By
CONTENTS
DECEMBER 20 18
W W W . C W . C O M . H K
Technology
Trendlines 2019
Break on through to
the other side
4 14
PAGE 20
71 12
4 upfront 16 forecast2019
Security: the little black What can techies expect in
dress the Year of the Boar?
6 news 71 hkcsview
Time to shine
10 review2018
Inno-tech made great
strides in Hong Kong
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UPFRONT STEFAN HAMMOND
Security: the little
black dress http://www.cw.com.hk
Computerworld Hong Kong is published by Questex Asia Ltd,
13/F, 88 Hing Fat Street, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.
I
GROUP PUBLISHER Simon Yeung syeung@questexasia.com
EDITORIAL
n 2004, I was interviewed by a long- ger of Hong Kong businesses falling five EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Stefan Hammond shammond@questexasia.com
gone media outlet on my then-role as years behind on cyberdefense levels, and DEPUTY EDITOR Gigi Onag gigionag@questexasia.com
DEPUTY EDITOR Nancy Ho nancyho@questexasia.com
Assistant Editor for Computerworld a lack of readiness to detect and remediate DESIGN MANAGER Pauline Wong pwong@questexasia.com
Hong Kong. They asked me what topic I cyber threats.” SALES
covered most often. My reply: “Security, 2018 was also the year of the GDPR— ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Connie Yip cyip@questexasia.com
because it’s like the Little Black Dress: it the first true twenty-first century data pri-
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Ray Wong raywong@questexasia.com
SENIOR SALES & MARKETING EXECUTIVE
never goes out of style.” vacy protection law. Prior to its enactment Suki Kong sukikong@questexasia.com
Back then I toted a Nokia 3310 phone on May 25, separate EU countries won ADMINISTRATION
which had an LED as a flashlight, a state- judgements against firms judged to be in AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
Will Ahmad will@questexasia.com
of-the-art mobile. Nowadays I carry a breach of EU data privacy laws. In May CIRCULATION MANAGER Shipman Kwok skwok@questexasia.com
computer with a built-in radio transmitter 2017, the French National Commission MANAGEMENT
and receiver, because that’s what a smart- on Computing and Liberty fined Face- REGIONAL HR & ADMIN DIRECTOR
phone is. Almost everyone in Hong Kong book and Facebook Ireland €150,000—
Janis Lam janislam@questexasia.com
ACCOUNTING MANAGER Nancy Chung nchung@questexasia.com
has one now, and these devices each have the maximum fine at that time—for data
more computing power than all of US privacy violations.
space agency NASA had when they put “That might be enough to persuade Computerworld Hong Kong is published twice annually. All material
a man on the moon. We use them for all smaller businesses to change their behav- is Copyright 2018 by Questex LLC, Inc. Reproduction is strictly forbidden
sorts of things, but in the MTR, it seems ior, but for Facebook it’s just 25 minutes’ without written permission.
like plenty of users view these magical profit,” wrote tech journalist Peter Sayer. Sales and Custom Publishing Enquiries:
slabs of glass as personal TV sets, which “From May 25, 2018, though, the GDPR
E-mail can be sent to syeung@questexasia.com
is fine (especially as Hong Kongers know will introduce a single set of privacy rules
to wear earphones for their personal across the EU’s 28 member states, and
soundtracks). raise fines to €20 million or four percent
But one thing hasn’t changed: secu- of worldwide revenue.” Computerworld Hong Kong is circulated to IT, computing and
rity. As we go to press, the Cathay Pacific Fashions come and go, as do buzz- internet companies and other private and public companies who use IT
and computing. It is edited for IT professionals, engineers, and senior
data breach is still an issue. And PwC words and new technologies. In 2018 we managers responsible for design, installation, marketing and maintenance
Hong Kong Cyber- saw massive interest in AI, the IOT, 5G,
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only. To subscribe, go to www.cw.com.hk.
security and Privacy digital transformation, edge computing,
Partner Kok Tin Gan fog computing, etc etc. These are impor-
Computerworld Hong Kong (ISSN 1023-4934) is published twice a
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Computerworld Hong Kong
4 Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 www.cw.com.hk
Brought to you by HKT
Enterprises face a critical need to
get ahead in the security arms race
WITH THE PROMISE OF EVERYTHING CONNECTED TO EVERYTHING To meet this critical need, HKT is providing a fully integrated
VIA IOT, businesses must redefine business models and operations Security-as-a-Service (SECaaS) solution to businesses of all sizes. HKT
to take advantage of this new opportunity but also manage the is leveraging the Fortinet Security Fabric, an architectural approach
increased risks. The prospect of pervasive always-on connectivity to security designed to integrate security solutions into a unified
between humans and machines is leading to IoT-related security framework. HKT is the first telecommunications service provider
attacks which are predicted to rise 600% according to Symantec. in Hong Kong to provide enterprise customers with powerful,
The potential cost of cyberattacks is expected to reach USD6 integrated end-to-end security solutions across the entire attack
trillion, predicted by Juniper Networks. surface.
HKT’s SECaaS solution has been designed to address the very
Security arms race specific security needs of modern dynamic businesses. These critical
Accenture’s 2018 State of Cyber Resilience Study notes requirements include: Round-the-clock 365 days a year protection;
that automated orchestration capabilities that use AI, big-data simple and fast deployment; a monthly subscription model; and
analytics, and machine learning are enabling security teams to finally, keeping you up-to-date without fear of whether patches
react and respond in nanoseconds and milliseconds, not minutes, are up-to-date or if cybersecurity technology will be obsolete. The
hours or days. But at the same time there are already instances of solution offers a complete suite of the following services:
threat actors and hackers using AI technologies
to bolster their attacks and malware, noted
Forrester Research in a new report titled “Using
AI for Evil: A Guide To How Cybercriminals
Will Weaponize And Exploit AI To Attack Your
Business.”
Given this scenario, companies are
increasingly looking to more responsive solutions
and third-party managed platforms to bolster in-
house capabilities with rapid access to tools, data
and intelligence to combat emerging threats.
On-premise deployments are still the most
popular, but third party and managed security
is becoming the preferred delivery model for a
number of technologies,” said Sid Deshpande,
Principal Research Analyst at Gartner.
Locking down retail and finance reduce and mitigate hacking risks associated with Internet trading,
In terms of target verticals that are primed to benefit, they are to improve cybersecurity resiliency & practice. Secure network
retail and finance industries. Retailers are fast in adopting IoT and infrastructure through proper network segmentation with multi-
cloud technologies to better understand consumer behaviors and tiered firewalls, to protect critical systems and client data against
optimize operations through collection and analysis of data. The cyber-attacks. Security patches be evaluated on timely basis. To
processing of large amount of data creates the need for a strong ensure this high level of security, HKT designs a multi-layer security
end-to-end security solution. The highly scalable model of HKT’s infrastructure and preservation, as well as advanced malware
solution addresses retailers’ need for fast deployment with new protection to safeguard information from any security risks.
store openings. In addition, HKT provides a Next Generation Security Operations
Financial institutions hold some of the most important customer Center (NGSOC) that supports Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) and
data and any vulnerability may lead to huge monetary or data loss. Threat Management Services (TMS) to enable an even stronger
The Securities and Futures Commission had released Guidelines to protection against cyber attacks.
NEWS
HONG KONG/CHINA HONG KONG
Cisco names Herman Lam MD for Google smart city report: HK failing to
Hong Kong and Macau cultivate digital skills
Cisco has appointed Herman Lam as its
new managing director for Hong Kong and Nine in 10 Hong Kong business leaders plan to increase their investments in
Macau. Lam is a 25 year veteran of the ICT digital technology over the next two years, but 70% are struggling to find the right
industry, having previously served in roles talent to help them achieve their digital ambitions.
including CEO of Cyberport and general These are among the key findings of new research commissioned by Google Hong
manager of Microsoft Hong Kong. Kong and conducted by Ipsos. The second Smarter Digital City Whitepaper explored
Hong Kong’s progress in transforming into a smart city.
HKEX to introduce HK finance sectors The whitepaper considers Hong Kong’s approach to digitization and its credentials
first blockchain platform as a smart city, based on the opinions of consumers, SMEs, enterprises, policymakers
HKEX is set to work with distributed ledger and nearby countries.
technology company Digital Asset Holdings The report highlights a disparity between the digital progress of large and smaller
to introduce the first blockchain platform companies, while 85% of enterprises have increased their digital investments this
in the financial services industry in Hong year, only 34% of Hong Kong businesses have a web presence, and just half of SMEs
Kong. The stock exchange operator’s CEO consider digital to be fundamental to their future.
Charles Li said the blockchain platform Meanwhile, although they are generally satisfied with the available infrastructure,
will initially be used to support the Stock residents do not yet consider Hong Kong to be a leading smart city, and both
Connect collaboration between the Hong consumers and enterprises believe the city is facing major gaps in R&D, technology
Kong, Shanghai and Shenzhen stock hubs, app development and tech talent.
exchanges. Only 14% of Hong Kong residents think their city is successfully developing
digital talent, although 80% of residents would like to improve their digital skills.
CUHK launches degree in data The skills shortage is most acutely felt in areas including data analytics. Among
science and policy studies employers that believe data analytics skills are important to have from staff, 70%
The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s believe it is difficult to find these skills while recruiting.
(CUHK) Faculty of Data Science has Fortunately analytics, along with machine learning and app development, are
launched a new undergraduate program in among the top digital skills Hong Kong residents are interested in cultivating. 3
data science and policy studies. The new
program is designed to help fill the need
for people with the knowledge of both data
analytics and policy studies and the ability
to apply data science to make effective
decisions, the university said. The first year
of the program will be for the 2019-20
academic year, and will take a quota of up
to 20 undergraduate students.
OGCIO launched Cybersec Infohub
The Office of the Government Chief
Information Officer (OGCIO) launched in
September the Cybersec Infohub, the first
cross-sector cyber security information
sharing and collaborative platform in Hong
Kong. The two-year pilot partnership
program aims to promote cybersecurity
information exchange among public
(Left to right) Leonie Valentine, managing director for sales and operations at Google Hong
organizations, the private sector and the Kong and Mick Gordon, managing director of Ipsos Hong Kong during the launch of the
community. second Smarter Digital City Whitepaper
6 Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 www.cw.com.hk
GLOBAL
IBM to acquire Red Hat in US$34b blockbuster deal
IBM will acquire open source 80% is about unlocking real
specialist Red Hat, in a blockbuster business value and driving
US$34 billion deal designed to bolster the growth.”
tech giant’s hybrid cloud capabilities. “This is the next
Terms of the deal will see Big Blue chapter of the cloud. It
acquire all of the issued and outstanding requires shifting business
common shares of Red Hat for US$190 applications to hybrid
per share in cash, in an agreement cloud, extracting more data
expected to be finalized in the second half and optimizing every part
of 2019. of the business, from supply
“The acquisition of Red Hat is a game- chains to sales.”
changer,” said Ginni Rometty, CEO of Rometty said the
IBM, during the deal’s announcement acquisition brings together
in late October. “It changes everything the “best-in-class” hybrid
IBM says the Red Hat acquisition is a game-changer,
about the cloud market.” cloud providers, enabling changing everything about the cloud market.
“IBM will become the world’s no.1 companies to securely move (Photo credit: Valerie Loiseleux/iStockPhoto)
hybrid cloud provider, offering companies all business applications to
the only open cloud solution that will the cloud in the process. to bring enterprise Kubernetes and hybrid
unlock the full value of the cloud for their Following a 20-year partnership cloud solutions to customers.
businesses.” across the industry, IBM served as an According to Rometty, such
“Most companies today are only early supporter of Linux, collaborating innovations have become “core
20% along their cloud journey, renting with Red Hat to help develop and grow technologies” within IBM’s US$19
compute power to cut costs. The next enterprise-grade Linux and more recently billion hybrid cloud business. 3
Quotable Quote Number Crunch
No company can rely
9.4
solely on its founders … Because
of physical limits on one’s ability
and energy, no one can shoulder
the responsibilities of chairman and million
CEO forever The number of passengers whose
personal information have been
— Jack Ma, Alibaba co-founder compromised in a data breach at
Cathay Pacific disclosed last November
and executive chairman, during the
announcement of his retirement
set for September 2019
www.cw.com.hk Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 7
Brought to you by CITIC TELECOM CPC
Sustaining business transformation
through partnership
ASK ANY COMPANY, and they will say that they are in the midst
of transforming the business. The reasons are clear: the need
for business agility, industry disruption, customer calls for better
experience and operational excellence are some of the top ones.
However, as many will note, starting business transformation
might be easier compared to sustaining one. It requires companies
to rethink what are the chief ingredients that they need to drive
the business transformation journey.
“It requires companies to start going back to basics. Instead of
trying to deploy the next best technology, it pays dividends to take
Daniel Kwong, chief technology
a step back and ensure you have the right foundations to grow fast
and innovation officer,
and be agile,” said Daniel Kwong, chief technology and innovation CITIC Telecom CPC
officer, CITIC Telecom CPC.
Four pillars of strength
CITIC Telecom CPC sees four essential ingredients for creating themselves. New IT innovations, such as IoT analytics and artificial
the right business transformation: network connectivity, cloud intelligence, require clouds for ingesting and analyzing data
computing, the data center, and information security. quickly,” said Kwong.
“They are like air and water – all four are essentials for any The future is going to be all cloud. New applications like smart
business transformation effort,” said Kwong. manufacturing, smart cities, and autonomous vehicles rely on real-
Network connectivity is not an option. In today’s interconnected time access to compute resources near their operations — business
business environment, no company is an island. They need to who are not cloud-ready risk becoming marginalized.
connect and disconnect with their evolving operations and partner The next ingredient, the data center, is seeing a resurgence.
network. A resilient and flexible network is crucial. It is no longer seen as just another data repository. Next-gen data
But building such a network requires companies to shift centers now sit at the core of business operations as access to
their mindsets about network connectivity. They need to create crucial data become indispensable for mission-critical applications
one that has low latency connections, optimizes bandwidth, to perform.
works with different network protocols and has global reach. Data centers are also continually evolving. They are no longer
As companies need to explore new economies and geographies monolithic, centralized facilities. Data sovereignty, data privacy,
under initiatives like One Belt One Road and Greater Bay Area, disaster recovery and having operational data close to the
they need a network that works with different protocols. It is why operations’ locations require a network of data centers. Such a
SD-WAN is becoming vital. setup allows companies to expand their operations fast, meet local
Network connectivity also provides the foundation for the next regulatory requirements and respond to locate market dynamics
essential ingredient: cloud computing. Simply put, clouds are fast appropriately.
becoming the modern business platform. Scalability, rapid access Lastly, companies need to rethink information security for
to compute resources, the ability to streamline operational costs, many reasons. First, the security perimeter is now blurred. With
eliminating upfront capital expenditure and infrastructure agility cloud computing, integration with partner and customers’
without worrying about maintenance costs are some of the reasons networks, and remote access to critical data becoming vital for
why many are embracing cloud computing. productivity and automation, and the use of third-party suppliers
“Clouds are business enablers. They allow companies to scale to manage essential functions, like data analytics or email service
fast using new services without having to deploy or manage provision, has widened the threat surface. It also makes security
8 Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 www.cw.com.hk
Clouds are business enablers. They allow companies to scale fast using new
services without having to deploy or manage themselves
– Daniel Kwong, CITIC Telecom CPC
policy enforcement extremely challenging. center solution.” It is built on a leading technology platform and
Regulations and reputational risks are also rising. With many the company’s carrier-grade network infrastructure, linking with
legislations requiring the storage of customer data onshore and more than 30 data centers worldwide. It is also not limited to
fines becoming heftier, companies need to reinforce resilience provide traditional facility management, hosting or colocation
and reliability. And as security threats become more frequent and services, but specifically designed to handle the demands of cloud
sophisticated, they need to invest in incident responses, threat infrastructure, private and hybrid cloud environments.
intelligence, and countermeasures “because it is no longer ‘if’ but TrustCSI offers managed security services, advanced threat
‘when’ a company will be attacked,” said Kwong. protection (ATP) and vulnerability management through its IAS
solution that modern enterprises need. It also adds additional
Right combination security capabilities through its network of security operations
Addressing all these four factors is not easy. It requires centers (SOCs) that monitors, examines and alerts threats on a 24/7
experience, expertise, and significant investment. In a fast-paced with access to global expertise and threat intelligence.
market environment, this can be challenging for resource-strapped CITIC Telecom CPC ties all these solutions with a single
companies looking to compete on a daily basis. customer management portal called ManagedCONNECT – giving
It can also be a distraction for senior managers looking to focus customers the visibility they need to monitor and manage their
on their business and an expensive investment for lean companies entire infrastructure.
who do not want to grow their own internal IT teams. More
importantly, getting the right talents is a struggle, especially when Future through partnership
many of the tools require a high level of expertise and experience The tough, complex and vastly competitive business landscape
in interpreting the results. requires companies to be focused on their value proposition. But
It is why finding the right partner with the right solutions, with much of the value built on IT, companies need to balance their
experience and infrastructure is vital. business and IT capabilities – a tough proposition in an environment
where skilled IT talent is expensive and hard to find.
Understanding the promise Companies also need to be flexible and adaptive to new
CITIC Telecom CPC builds its entire value proposition on four innovations, while protecting themselves against evolving
flagship solutions: TrueCONNECT, TrustCSI, SmartCLOUD, and threats. It adds another dimension of business risk that can see
DataHOUSE. These address the four essential ingredients that traditional incumbents unseated by new startups armed with new
modern enterprises need to drive business transformation. technologies.
With TrueCONNECT CITIC Telecom CPC offers a range of It is why finding the right ICT managed services partner is
private network solutions, from hybrid and premium MPLS to important.
accelerators, traffic monitoring service (TMS) and remote services. “You can’t do everything yourself, and you need a partner
It also connects to a global network that is built for low latency and whom you can grow with and can address all your ICT needs,” said
redundant connectivity. Kwong.
SmartCLOUD combines CITIC Telecom CPC’s cloud and With multiple certifications, including ISO9001, ISO14001,
networking expertise. From compute power to business resilience ISO20000, ISO27001 and ISO27017, the right team of globally-
and desktop-as-a-service (DaaS), the company can help its certified professionals, reliable facilities and offerings, and a bevy
customers transition into digital natives company at their own of awards and accreditations, CITIC Telecom CPC aims to be one.
pace. It also offers various cloud value-added services and specific “After all, when business cycles are unpredictable, you
cloud connectivity solutions for those looking to expand their need a partner who understands your priorities and can deliver
operations. technology solutions aligned to market conditions. That is what we
CITIC Telecom CPC’s DataHOUSE is an “unconventional data are constantly striving to become,” said Kwong.
www.cw.com.hk Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 9
REVIEW2018
2018: inno-tech made
great strides in Hong Kong
Computerworld HK selects the top 10 stories in
2018 that gained top mindshare in the local and
global IT markets
By Computerworld Hong Kong editors
HKSAR Govt steps up on AI and robotics technologies; and made a big push for re-industrialization
inno-tech support the promotion of eSports. Dedicated of Hong Kong’s manufacturing sector
Support for Hong Kong’s innovation funding is allocated to Cyberport, Hong through the help of I&T.
and technology (I&T) development got a Kong Science and Technology Park, and
big boost this year. The 2018-2019 Hong the Innovation and Technology Fund to
Kong Budget allocated HK$50 billion support their further development.
on I&T investment, which is four times In the Policy Address of Chief
the investment in the 2017 Budget. The Executive Carrie Lam, the government
I&T budget is allotted to developing renewed its commitment to the growth
innovation in the areas of biotechnology, of the I&T sector with a key focus on
AI, and fintech. local research and development (R&D).
New initiatives in the Budget include Additional funding is injected into
the setup of Technology Talent Scheme; the university research. Tax reductions for
establishment of two technology research R&D expenditure will be available to
clusters on healthcare technologies, and local enterprises. The Policy Address also
Massive data breaches involving some of its IT systems. shared the personal data of some of its
Large-scale data breach incidents Hong Kong Broadband Network users with Cambridge Analytica. The UK
happened in Hong Kong and worldwide (HKBN) reported a cyberattack on an data analytics firm used the data to conduct
in 2018. inactive customer database containing the targeted marketing for political campaigns.
In Hong Kong, the biggest incident information of some 380,000 customer Backup and disaster recovery vendor
came from Cathay Pacific, The personal and service applicant records of its fixed Veeam exposed millions of customer
information of up to 9.4 million passengers line and IDD services. records on an open server from AWS due
was compromised due to a data breach Earlier this year, Facebook improperly to a human error.
Data breaches could incur both
economic and reputation losses to
enterprises. To promote cyber security
information exchange among public,
private sectors and the community,
the Office of the Government Chief
Information Officer debuted cross-sector
collaborative platform Cybersec Infohub.
All the companies in Hong Kong are
eligible to become members for free.
10 Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 www.cw.com.hkBrought to you by HKT
Unraveling the complexity
when managing multi-clouds
Multi-clouds are about to become the new IT normal.
GARTNER’S THE FUTURE OF THE DATA CENTER IN THE CLOUD ERA highly reliable connectivity. It needs to be resilient in design and
PREDICTS THAT 70% OF ENTERPRISES WILL HAVE A MULTI-CLOUD able to enforce data security and privacy policies that the business
STRATEGY BY 2019, and cites various drivers for it. demands.
First, multi-clouds allow companies to tackle increasingly The Extended Cloud is for purpose-driven, dynamic workloads,
complex data sovereignty issues by choosing the right onshore cloud or innovative projects such as AI or machine learning. The goal is
provider as well as geographical and latency concerns. The push for to reduce time-to-market and impact on business applications in
operational excellence and better customer engagement also sees the Edge and Core Clouds. It needs to be agile and scalable while
many global companies use different clouds. allowing a company to leverage the strength of multiple public
Digital transformation is another driver. Many companies are cloud services without compromising their data security and privacy
embracing different clouds for their diverse workloads. For CIOs, policies.
multi-clouds ensure that their companies avoid becoming locked to HKT does not stop there. It includes a multi-cloud connect
one provider. platform that simplifies how you connect with today’s leading cloud
Lastly, clouds offer a platform that fuel innovations. For example, platforms. It adds multi-cloud monitoring and multi-cloud security
Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications that allow companies to take control of their infrastructure, creating
often require the latest technology provided by public cloud services. an integrated architecture for a unified experience.
Taming complexity Partnership matters
But not all clouds are made the same way. Optimizing, migrating Multi-cloud management requires a different set of skills, tools,
and managing workloads across multiple cloud platforms add layers and investment. But CIOs do not have to do it alone.
of complexity. It requires migration specialists and specific cloud A reliable partner with the right expertise and services can help
platform experts that are becoming difficult to find. It also distracts companies to create their multi-cloud journey. They can also share
companies from their digital transformation journey and focus on valuable experience and best practices from managing multi-clouds
their core business. for other companies and industries.
HKT, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service They can help to overcome bottlenecks and issues that CIOs will
provider believes that every multi-cloud journey should begin with face during your Multi-cloud journey. It allows them to focus on
a distributed cloud center. It sees it as a unified cloud platform growing their business and not be bogged down managing their
with three: Edge, Core, and Extended Clouds. Such a multi-cloud multi-cloud infrastructure.
architecture within the data center allows companies to allocate A partner like HKT can help create and navigate such a future.
workloads more efficiently. It also lays the foundation for a multi-
cloud future.
Rethinking the data center
The Edge Cloud is designed to bring latency and time-sensitive
application workloads closer to the business operations. It removes
the time and distance needed to send data for processing to the
remote cloud or centralized processing systems.
The development of the Edge Cloud allows data processing and
analysis to occur in real time – an essential requirement in Internet-
of-Things (IoT) applications HKT believes such a cloud should be
connectivity driven, performance sensitive and locally survivable.
The Core Cloud takes on the heavy processing and storage that
today’s business-critical applications require. HKT sees such a cloud
storing confidential data and sees it as a secured platform withREVIEW2018
A new era of data protection within the region. The Office of the accountability principle and the related
The enactment of the European Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data privacy management tools are currently
Union (EU)’s General Data Protection (PCPD) in Hong Kong published a guide not explicitly provided under the PDPO.
Regulation (GDPR) in May has marked on how local businesses comply with the In the event of data breaches, Hong Kong
a new era of global data protection. It sets GDPR. has no mandatory breach notification
out new provisions and enhanced rights The introduction of the GDPR has requirement. The provision of such
governing the collection, use, disclosure, raised a concern on whether Hong Kong’s notifications is voluntary.
and handling of personal data of EU own Personal Data Privacy Ordinance
citizens. Companies that are not GDPR- (PDPO), which has been in force for over
compliant could face heavy fines. 10 years, needs to be updated.
Although GDPR is an EU law, it As stated in the PCPD’s GDPR
applies to any Hong Kong companies guide, some regulatory measures are
which have establishments in the EU or not provided under the PDPO. For
offer goods and services to individuals example, on the accountability front, the
A new paradigm of fintech The Faster Payment System (FPS) was email addresses.
While banks are taking the fintech activated in September. Participating banks Blockchain-based trade finance
route, Hong Kong is moving towards a and stored value facility (SVF) operators platform eTradeConnect was launched in
smart banking era with the introduction of enable their customers to make and receive October. Developed by a consortium of 12
a series of fintech initiatives by the Hong real-time payments across different banks major banks in Hong Kong, the platform
Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) in or SVFs with the use of mobile numbers or aims to improve trade efficiency, build
2018. better trust among trade participants, reduce
The HKMA introduced the Open risks and facilitate trade counterparties to
Application Programming Interface (API) obtain financing by leveraging blockchain
framework for the Hong Kong banking technology.
sector in July. The framework covers Open On the virtual banking front, over 50
API functions and deployment timeframe, companies sent enquiries and indications
technical standards on architecture, of interests to the HKMA. The HKMA
security and data, and third-party service is expected to start granting virtual bank
providers’ governance model. licenses by the first quarter of 2019.
Mobile payments 2018. More users settle their payments Pay HK offer mobile payment services to
gain traction with their mobile devices. An array of taxi drivers and passengers. Apart from
Hong Kong has made steady mobile payment services is available for taxi drivers, AliPay HK also partnered
growth towards mobile payments in merchants and consumers. with two minibus companies to allow
Surveys done by Visa and Mastercard passengers to use their mobile devices
in 2018 showed that Hong Kong users to pay for minibus fares. Mastercard
have used or are willing to use contactless collaborated with taxi hiring app HKTaxi
payments such as digital wallets, peer- to enable Mastercard cardholders to do
to-peer mobile payments, and QR code in-app payments.
payments. Mobile payment can also be used to
Mobile wallet providers, contactless pay bills or make P2P payments. WeChat
stored value card operators, and global Pay HK partnered with HGC Global
payments companies collaborated with Communications to allow customers to
local merchants and service providers to pay bills and purchase Wi-Fi pass over
integrate mobile payments into the daily WeChat Pay HK. PayPal Hong Kong
lives of Hong Kong people. provides a real-time top-up service
In the transportation sector, AliPay for Octopus Cards users to make P2P
HK, Octopus Cards Ltd, and WeChat payments.
12 Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 www.cw.com.hkBrought to you by JOS
Minimizing downtime and
errors with AI
JOS partners with HPE to bring
datacenter automation to reality
As businesses embark on their digital transformation journey, a solid infrastructure, in particular a reliable
storage operation is of paramount importance to a smooth sail. This is the vision that brought JOS IT
Managed Services together with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) Nimble Storage system – an AI-driven
system monitoring storage infrastructure that reduces downtime by proactively tackling potential issues.
IT IS LIKELY A DAILY, or even hourly, routine that the IT department troubleshooting and maintenance. The built-in InfoSight predictive
is receiving complaints from the end user on different issues – analysis uses machine learning to build predictive models,
slow performance, delayed or lack of response. The subsequent deducing from performance and downtime stats of millions of
trouble-shooting and investigation often drains time and resources. storage systems around the world every day. These models help
According to Warren Lee, Consulting Manager of Digital Solutions the InfoSight predict performance and enable auto-address up to
at JOS Hong Kong, enterprise IT infrastructure is a maze to navigate, 86% of the issues to provide a 99.9999% uptime guarantee.
where issues are often a result of complex interaction between
components – the server, network, or even the app. “Simply One-stop consultation and maintenance
identifying the issue could already an impossible task if you don’t management
have the right tools,” said Warren, as he shares his own experience. JOS IT Managed Services bring trusted and proven offerings.
It is the challenge that JOS IT Managed Services aims to solve. JOS Warren added that with more than 60 years in the industry, JOS is
monitors system operation, and addresses the interaction between better positioned to understand the diverse challenges and needs
infrastructure and apps, while looking out for potential security customers face. Moreover, JOS is one of the few that runs its own
loopholes. “Since we are always on the watch, we get to the issue support center, offering 24x7, multilingual hotline support and
quickly, and can even predict the upcoming issues and address attentive care to customers.
them proactively.” JOS holds different international standards and technology
certifications. Its technical team also won multiple awards, which is
Addressing the issue, not the symptom, a demonstration of its capabilities and commitment. With a strong
with AI business know-how and technical expertise,
Technical experts at JOS begin with a thorough audit of the the team is able to manage a variety of IT
existing infrastructure and operating environment, followed by a environments. It is able to provide a one-
tailor-made proposal. For example, many businesses take a “bolt- stop service that include initial consultation,
on” approach to hardware scaling – adding new machines to meet planning and proposal development,
new demands, while mixing them with legacy components. This deployment and maintenance.
leads to instability in the environment. JOS provides audit services
that assess the overall environment and recommend remedies.
Warren Lee, Consulting Manager of
This is exactly what happen to one of the retail customers at
Digital Solutions at JOS Hong Kong,
JOS. The company had been running their ERP on a storage array believes that businesses can benefit
for years, and felt a strain on app performance for no apparent from a flexible and automated
reason as business grows. After an audit, JOS recommended HPE storage, enabled by JOS IT Managed
Services and HPE Nimble Storage.
Nimble Storage System to the client. Its InfoSight predictive analysis
gave transparency to the operation environment, and pointed to
an overloaded infrastructure as the culprit. After putting in remedy
measures, the performance subsequently saw a 100% increment.
HPE Nimble Storage is a system designed for easyREVIEW2018
Readiness for open API Kong, EGL Tours, Fortress, HKTVmall, The portal currently contains datasets
Open API is taking a wider industry Octopus Cards, Visa, Watsons, and Zurich in various data categories provided by
adoption in Hong Kong. Organizations Hong Kong. They use Citi’s open API organizations from the public and private
across different industries have made technology in different categories such sectors.
progress in opening up their APIs. as cards, customers, money
According to a study from IDC movement, and onboarding.
Financial Insights in 2018, Hong Kong Other banks such as DBS
is the third top market in Asia Pacific in Hong Kong, HSBC, and
terms of open banking readiness, below Standard Chartered have
Singapore and Australia in the regional also developed their API
rankings. capabilities.
Major banks have already opened All the government
APIs for speeding up the creation and departments are required to
delivery of innovative services. Citi forged progressively open up their
open API partnerships with a number of data for free use by the public
companies in 2018 including AIA Hong under data.gov.hk portal.
AI takes shape AI applications, services, and projects Unmanned stores were debuted in
Artificial intelligence (AI) made growing across different vertical industries Hong Kong. PCCW Solutions opened an
a splash in Hong Kong in 2018, with such as financial, healthcare, hospitality, intelligent unmanned store Habbitzz+,
manufacturing, and retail. which blends online shopping with
In the 2018 Policy touch-and-feel experience at the physical
Address, the Chief store. HKSTP and partner company RV
Executive stated that the Automation Technology Company Ltd
funding of HK$10 billion jointly launched a smart warehouse the
has been approved for RobEx Centre to offer express courier
establishing two I&T and self-serviced storage.
clusters. One of them Educational institutions and
is on AI and robotics technology providers have ramped up
technologies. In addition, their AI initiatives. PolyU and Alibaba
AI and chatbot functions Cloud signed an agreement to strengthen
will be introduced to the their cooperation in AI research. To
GovHK portal in 2019 to nurture AI talent, the Chinese University
facilitate searching and of Hong Kong will launch an engineering
access of e-Government program in AI in the academic year
services by the public. 2019-20.
Acquisitions & company to offer cloud, managed, and WTT Holding through an all-stock deal
mergers continue data services. The new company is likely valuing WTT Holding at HK$10.5 billion.
The biggest tech acquisition the largest IT firm in Japan. Such deal is expected to enhance HKBN’s
worldwide in 2018 was the acquisition Earlier in 2018, homegrown service capabilities in the enterprise
of Red Hat by IBM at US$34 billion. It broadband service provider HKBN segment.
was also the third largest acquisition in acquired two companies in Hong Kong.
American tech history. Tech analysts The first acquisition was the cloud-
believe the acquisition could reshape the based MSP I Consulting Group (ICG)
open source and cloud platforms market. at HK$200 million, aiming to form a
In Japan, NTT merged its subsidiaries cloud system integration powerhouse.
Dimension Data, NTT Communications, The second one was about WTT Holding.
and NTT Data into a new IT services HKBN announced plans to merge with
14 Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 www.cw.com.hkSenior IT management Peter Yan, the former executive of executive vice chairman. Taking over
reshuffle director and CEO of SUNeVision his CEO role is NiQ Lai, the former COO
Musical chairs were playing among Holdings, joined Cyberport as the CEO. and executive director of the company.
some IT leaders in Hong Kong in 2018. The former Cyberport CEO, Herman Fujitsu Hong Kong promoted Leo Ng
Sunny Chai took over Fanny Law’s Lam, moved to Cisco as the managing as its new CEO. Ng has been promoted
role as the new chairman of the board of director for Hong Kong and Macau. Cisco from the post of general manager for
directors at HKSTP. Law served as the also announced the retirement of Barbara sales, marketing, and solutions. Sophos
chairperson for four years. HKSTP also Chiu, vice president for Hong Kong, appointed Keith Poon as the managing
appointed Chan Chi-ming as the new CEO Macau, and Taiwan. director for Greater China, based out of
of the subsidiary Hong Kong-Shenzhen William Yeung stepped down as the Hong Kong.
Innovation and Technology Park Ltd. CEO at HKBN but has assumed the role
HKSTP Chairman of the Board of Directors, Cyberport CEO, Peter Yan Cisco Managing Director for HK and Macau,
Sunny Chai Herman Lam
From left to right: HKBN Executive Vice Chairman William Yeung and HKBN CEO NiQ Lai Fujitsu Hong Kong CEO, Leo Ng
Innovation labs, co-work- and knowledge transfer on customer and fintech companies to create digital
ing spaces gain popularity and market needs in areas including banking products. 3
The support for technology startups AI, big data, smart living, smart
has been stepped up with the opening of health, fintech, property technology,
more co-working spaces and innovation and construction technology.
labs in Hong Kong. HKSTP also joined hands with
Cyberport opened its first off- Alibaba Group and SenseTime to
campus co-working space Smart-Space establish the Hong Kong AI & Data
8 to provide incubation support to young Laboratory to incubate AI startups.
entrepreneurs in fields such as fintech, HKT and ASTRI established
big data, app development, e-commerce, Smart City Joint Laboratory aimed
health-tech, and wearable technology. at developing advanced smart
HKSTP and Wheelock Properties city solutions. Standard Chartered
jointly opened HKSTP @Wheelock opened its innovation lab, the
Gallery outside of the Science Park. It eXellerator, to provide a co-creation
aims to promote an exchange of ideas space for the bank’s staff, customers,
www.cw.com.hk Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 15FORECAST2019
What can techies expect
in the Year of the Boar?
AI & blockchain: good or evil? We ask the experts
By Computerworld Hong Kong staff
I
n keeping with our annual tradition, Congress emphasized promised
we once again present the views of speed but failed to showcase the
industry experts on what was great and promised magic of the technology,”
what was hyped (or overhyped) in 2018. says Kristie Lu Stout, anchor/
Our contributors also gave their insight on correspondent, CNN International.
what technology will blossom in 2019. “Yes, it’s a work in progress. Yes,
As ever, this is a “straw poll” of we won’t see 5G properly roll out
people’s opinions. What did we find? until a few years from now. But the
Here’s a snapshot of opinions from Hong industry needs to be careful not to
Kong 2018. oversell its potential.
Tech we weren’t thrilled “5G isn’t going to be just about
with in 2018: speed, but about life-changing
“It’s hard to get excited about 5G when services,” says Lu Stout. “I look
the demos I saw at the 2018 Mobile World forward seeing that demo.”
“Blockchain and
the decentralized ledger
system have yet to deliver
the vast breakthrough
that is promised by
its advocates,” says Mok: It will take time for blockchain to gain traction
Charles Mok, Hong beyond cryptocurrency
Kong’s Legislative
Councillor for Information to gain traction beyond cryptocurrency and
Technology. “Though we see go mainstream.”
more experimentation around “The most famous use of blockchain
the DLT in different scenarios, technology is cryptocurrencies like
especially in the financial bitcoin, which is a digital record of
services sector, the long term transactions that cannot be altered,”
viability and ROI of adopting says Winnie Tang, honorary professor
blockchain faces a reality at the Department of Computer Science,
check.” University of Hong Kong and founder of
“For enterprises to integrate the Smart City Consortium. “It is said to
blockchain technologies into have the huge potential to disrupt financial
their workflow,” says Mok, services as well as other industries—
“figuring out interoperability, but the problem is that there is no killer
standardization and risk application that only blockchain can
management on blockchain- accomplish in the real world.”
based platforms will be crucial. Tang says that, according to Gartner’s
CNN’s Lu Stout: 5G is a work in progress It will take time for blockchain 2018 CIO Survey, “only one percent
16 Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 www.cw.com.hkof CIOs confirmed having adopted develop a blockchain incubator
blockchain technology within their and accelerator.”
organizations, and only eight percent
of CIOs were planning or actively Intelligence...
experimenting with blockchain in the the artificial kind
near future.” “While the promise of AI
However, blockchain technology (Artificial Intelligence) is exciting,”
gained traction in Hong Kong this year. says Darrell Ryman, CTO, AXA
“Cyberport witnessed the development of Hong Kong, “most [firms] struggle
blockchain in our community,” says Peter to understand the data within their
Yan, CEO, Cyberport. “The blockchain organization and its quality, which
ecosystem is growing fast, [like] our poses a problem in deriving real
digital technology enterprises.” value from technologies like AI
Yan cited Cyberport-based examples and Big Data.”
of blockchain progress: financial services However, Ted Suen, president
provider Standard Kepler, “a incubatee of the Hong Kong Computer
[which] has raised over US$480M to Society, finds AI intriguing.
date,” and Hash Key, which “will leverage “The world was shocked by the
the innovative ecosystem of Cyberport to fast development of AI with Go
champions beaten by Cyberport’s Yan: The blockchain ecosystem
the computer program is growing fast
AlphaGo,” he says.
“AI/Big Data is one of the key chatbots being widely used in call
technology clusters of Cyberport centers, video analytics to determine
[and] is [also] the mainstream of certain scenarios for follow-up actions
digital technology development,” or decision-making, robotics applications
says Yan from Cyberport.” People for re-industrialization, etc. The HK
now have AI assistants embedded government is implementing AI solutions
in their computer systems, for businesses, including: estimating
platforms and software.” journey times, video analytics for
deterring illegal parking, and chatbots for
Tech that excited us 1823 and GovHK.
in 2018: “Recognizing AI as one of Hong Kong’s
“AI,” says Government CIO strengths, the Hong Kong government and
Victor Lam. “With the maturity local organizations are deeply invested into
of big data analytics and machine AI,” says Bong Chan, Southern Region
learning, AI has become a TMT managing partner for Deloitte China.
mainstream technology providing “The Innovation and Technology Fund
Tang: No killer app for blockchain many useful applications, e.g. (ITF) has funded 57 projects involving
www.cw.com.hk Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 17FORECAST2019
startups have been established here chatbots is also expected to improve with
as of September 2018, compared voice gradually replacing text input.”
with 2,200—from a 2017 “Data is the “new oil” to drive new
InvestHK survey. The total funds economic development and emerging
raised increased from $450 million technologies like big data analysis and
last year to at least $1.9 billion in AI,” says Winnie Tang.
the first nine months of 2018.” “A centralized real-time geographic
information system (GIS) platform like
Tech predicted to thrill Common Operational Picture (COP)
in 2019: should be implemented to coordinate
“Fake news. Cyberbullying. recovery efforts,” she says. “COP can
Stealth influence campaigns. In serve as a platform for command and
2018, big tech firms may have coordination, allowing commanders
issued their mea culpas for these to keep abreast on the latest and
ills, but 2019 will be a year of comprehensive field situation, issue
action, says CNN’s Lu Stout. orders and allocate resources in disaster
“Facebook, Google, Twitter relief operations.” 3
and others must provide more
Ted Suen from the HKCS: AlphaGo shows what AI meaningful safeguards to improve
can do security, ensure privacy and earn
back trust. They also must act fast
AI and robotics over the past three years. before increasingly tech-savvy regulators
In the Smart City Blueprint published at dictate the terms.”
the end of 2017, the government stated “With the GDPR, companies are
its commitment to build infrastructure forced to improve compliance with the
that allows for more application of AI in new requirements,” says Charles Mok.
both the public and private sectors, from “The new regulatory regime holding
transport to cyber security.” companies accountable for how they
“Integrating data into business treat data is showing effects globally.
analytics is one of the major trends that Defense against cybersecurity threats and
enterprises are investing heavily in,” protection of personal data will emerge
says Charles Mok. “Companies sitting as important themes for enterprises
on massive troves of data are leveraging seeking to prevent becoming victims of
increased processing power to prepare, ransomware and other cyberattacks.”
analyze, and extract insight.” “With the improvement of Natural
“The most exciting technology scene Language Processing and AI algorithms, I
in Hong Kong this year is the number think conversational interface technology
of startups,” says Winnie Tang. “Startup will be getting more attention in 2019,” OGCIO’s Lam: AI has become a mainstream
community Whub estimates that 2,800 says Victor Lam. “The user experience for technology
18 Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 www.cw.com.hkFintech Innovation is the dedicated media for Banking, Finance, Insurance organisations that show how FSOs leverage technology to gain competitive edge and optimize business performance. The Finance Innovation Forum takes place in Singapore and Hong Kong annually. ONLINE PORTAL + WEEKLY NEWSLETTER www.enterpriseinnovation.net/fintech
Technology
Trendlines 2019
Break on through to the other side
C omputerworld Hong Kong has
been published continuously
since 1984. According to the
calendar, that’s about 35 years. But by
the Technology Publishing Calendar, it’s
required specialized tools and skills.
There’s a reason we still call media “the
press.”
And we learned the new tools. To me,
email is still the killer app: personally and
Cyber-physical convergence expands
enterprises’ attack surface 21
Multi-cloud environments will dominate
more like 127.5 years. professionally. But media increasingly in the enterprise 27
Looking at copies of CWHK from the shifts to the short-attention-span
Data security in the era of new
mid-80s, vendors like Wang, Burroughs maelstrom where the Twitterati dwell.
and Sperry-Univac dominate. Models When I look into my crystal ball, I cybersecurity laws 33
with big hair brandish five-inch floppy see a future of splintered technologies
Hybrid cloud and its benefits to
disks: the latest in storage technology. competing and coalescing—a
It was a different world. technodrome of ambition, failures, Hong Kong enterprises 39
Nowadays, many of us never leave and successes. Tech is now part
home without a Net-connected mobile of mainstream business. And that,
Smart cities rely on the IoT 45
phone (or two). We have 500GB SSDs ultimately, is a good thing.
AI and machine learning revolutionize
so small they fit in a shirt pocket. Our Technology Trendlines 2019 issue
Our personal tech setups were presents the top 10 technology trends modern businesses 51
unimaginable a few decades ago, yet to watch in Hong Kong and global
5G disruption 55
for younger users, it’s normal because enterprise IT space.
it’s always been that way. In Hong All the best in the Year of the Boar!3 Getting real with digital integration
Kong, the “digital divide” is more like a
generation gap.
challenges and opportunities 59
People of my generation experienced Intelligent apps and analytics transform
both sides of the equation. We
remember when most communication the workplace 63
was via landlines or face-to-face. We Stefan Hammond Blockchain goes beyond cryptocurrency
learned handwriting (remember that?). Editor-in-Chief
Producing and distributing content Computerworld Hong Kong
67
20 Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 www.cw.com.hkCYBER-PHYSICAL CONVERGENCE EXPANDS ENTERPRISES’ ATTACK SURFACE
AUTOMATION TO TAKE CENTER STAGE
IN APPLICATION SECURITY
Cybersecurity pros will take a leaf out of the hackers’ playbook by using
automated tools to fix application flaws
By Gigi Onag
A
pplications today are critical infiltrate corporate networks. According Hong Kong lags in strengthen-
touchpoints to an organization’s to the Forrester Data Global Business ing application security
products and services, but they Technographics Security Survey 2017, In Hong Kong roughly during the
are also the weakest link when it comes 41% of external attacks were carried out same time period, the city saw malicious
to cyberattacks. by exploiting software vulnerabilities and attackers zeroing in on applications as
From 2017, technology analysts have 38% were done through SQL injection, easy gateways to steal their users’ data. In
been putting applications at the top of the cross-site scripting and remote file late 2016, a stock trading security incident
target list of hackers who are trying to inclusions of web applications. involving a mobile app caused an investor
www.cw.com.hk Computerworld Hong Kong December 2018 21You can also read
