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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited:
The Next Generation Information Technology Standard Symposium today (March 30) at Cyberport drew information and communications technology (ICT) leaders from Hong Kong and the Mainland to hold in-depth discussions on the platforms, policies and programmes that will accelerate the advancement of cloud computing in the Greater China region.
The one-day symposium, organised by Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited (Cyberport) and the Office of the Government Chief Information (OGCIO), drew nearly 600 leading ICT figures from the Government, the enterprise sector and academia, as well as entrepreneurs and start-ups from Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and Guangdong.
"Without doubt, cloud computing is going to be the prevailing trend in the market in the years to come, and will be one of the key drivers for the economic development of the region, with great potential not only in the local market, but also the huge Mainland market. Cyberport is honoured to provide a platform via this symposium for ICT leaders to discuss the importance of standardisation and other policies that will shape the future of cloud computing in Mainland," said Chief Executive Officer of Cyberport, Mr Herman Lam.
"We are committed to providing more opportunities in future for the industry to discuss policies, build business and share best practices, so that more organisations can leverage the efficiency, lower cost and time-to-market advantages that cloud computing delivers."
In his keynote address, Government Chief Information Officer, Mr Daniel Lai, highlighted Hong Kong's leadership in cloud computing adoption.
"Hong Kong ranks second in cloud computing readiness in Asia Pacific. This is a proof of our readiness and eagerness to embrace this new computing paradigm that is changing the way enterprises, big and small, leverage IT resources to support business-critical applications. The Hong Kong Government is establishing a Hong Kong cloud expert group involving the ICT industry, research institutes and academia, which aims to work closely with the Mainland authorities and contribute to the development of relevant standards and best practices," Mr Lai said.
China's 12th Five-Year Plan is closely tied to the cloud computing agenda. According to KPMG Hong Kong, an investment of RMB1.1 trillion is planned for the development of key cloud computing hubs. Forrester Research also reported recently that, apart from the five cloud hubs already set up in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and Wuxi, the Mainland government plans to build 20 more cloud computing centres in the country.
The Mainland cloud market is also expected to reach almost RMB 94.9 billion in 2012, up from RMB 73.4 billion in 2011. With such rapid growth, it is important for Hong Kong organisations to establish cross-border relationships with government officials, strategists and entrepreneurs. Today's event was the perfect opportunity for industry players to exchange ideas and establish closer cross-border partnerships.
Throughout the symposium, experts explored a wide range of important issues and topics on cloud computing and shared some of the planning, policy and collaboration opportunities in their respective areas. Industry professionals, local start-ups and enterprises gained a better and deeper insight into the Mainland's cloud standards and development. Mainland ICT leaders included:
- Mr Fu Yong Bao, Vice Consultant, Department of Software Service Industry, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the Peopleˇ¦s Republic of China
- Ms Zhou Bin Qi, Vice President, Cloud Computing Industry Alliance, Zhongguancun, Beijing
- Mr Jiang Changai, Vice Consultant, Economic and Information Commission of Guangdong Province
- Dr Xu Zeming, Head, R&D Department, National Super Computer Centre (Shenzhen)
- Mr Xu Yiling, Director of Cooperation and Development, Shanghai Promotion Center of Software Industry
- Ms Yang Ling, General Manager, Shanghai Cloud Valley Development Co. Ltd.
The Symposium was followed by two panel discussions, "Information Infrastructure" moderated by Chief Technology Officer of Cyberport, Dr David Chung, and "Cloud Computing and Mobile Cloud's Technology & Standardisation" moderated by Chief Technology Officer of the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, Professor Peter Yum Tak-shing, joined by international and local experts.
The first panel discussion reviewed the challenges in the cloud industry and the current state of research and infrastructure development in the field, as well as on-going and planned infrastructure projects and government-led developments. The second panel discussion covered the development of standards and applications in the arena of telecommunications and mobility, including a detailed look at recent developments in Shenzhen, privacy and security issues, and standards enforcement.
Thirty-five exhibitors, including some of the biggest names in ICT industries such as Autodesk, Cisco, IBM, Microsoft, HP, and Sybase, showcased their cloud-based solutions concurrently with the Symposium. A wide spectrum of specialised cloud products, services and mobile cloud applications, ranging from enterprise solutions, real time management systems, dispatch and tracking to multimedia integration demos, were also on display.
For details, please visit www.cyberport.hk .
Ends/Friday, March 30, 2012
Issued at HKT 20:02
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