ING in Oz shows cloud transformation. ING Direct’s “Bank in the Box” implementation is one of the most wide-ranging and significant cloud projects completed in Australia this year, and the case was a highlight of the Asia Cloud Forum conferences held in Sydney last May and organized by Questex Asia. Ben Issa, head of IT strategy at ING Direct Australia, was a keynote speaker at the Sydney event and presented the “Bank in the Box” project, which has made IT a major driver of innovation in the business and already delivered a major boost in productivity. The move to the cloud at ING came from necessity. The IT department was simply not able to keep up with the demands of the business to roll out new products and deliver the innovation required.
There was a significant backlog in projects, with long lead times. The IT team needed to find a faster way to create new “copies” of the bank so they could accelerate time to market for new products and services. Entrepreneurship & Startups in Singapore and Southeast Asia : SGE. Sequoia's Jim Goetz On Enterprise Startups. Earning money from OTT. As featured on TM Forum's the Insider blog Quite often, The Insider is sent reports from analysts, survey firms, vendors and even other industry bodies.
Very often, these are sponsored by one of the above, either hoping to sell detailed analysis reports or show their own products and services in a glowing light. That, sadly is the nature of the business – good reports cost money to produce and someone has to supply the ‘moola’. Now, that’s not to say some of these reports are not top notch or unbiased, but you do sometimes have to look hard to find one. The topic is very well researched with 35 operators listed (many other were not) and 68 markets covered. Yes, you read right, OTT players are acting like walled gardens, and you know how successful that was for the CSPs!
Skype and Whatsapp are singled out as the leaders in the OTT voice and messaging spaces, but their growth is somewhat linked to smartphone penetration. Who said the humble phone number was doomed? Operators require agile IT systems. Martin Redington/Microgen | August 29, 2012 Telecoms companies are facing an increasingly complex and challenging operating environment. To be able to retain market share effectively, network operators need to build an ecosystem of new services that includes music downloads, app stores and streamed movies to attract new users and create brand loyalty. However, to capitalize on, and manage, this new business model brings new IT demands to manage the content monetization and royalty obligations. Network operators’ IT departments must be able to build new business applications and services quickly.
For some operators, one option may be to create new monetized services in collaboration with other OTT applications and content providers to produce paid-for services. All too often when looking to capitalize on new opportunities or expand their business portfolio, organizations build new applications in isolation from their existing and new systems as it is perceived to be faster. The shift to a multi-channel model. Joseph Waring | August 22, 2012 Telecom Asia Consumers are cutting companies out of the dialog until the last minute when making purchase decisions and seeking support.
Nicola Millard, customer experience futurologist at BT Global Services, says that the operator is often the last stop when people are looking for information on products and services or even help on inquiries. Customers also are demanding self-service support, which they find faster than calling. But this trend isn't proving to be the cost saver telcos were expecting. Some 54% of consumers prefer self-service since it puts them in control and no one tries to sell them anything, according to a joint BT-Avaya study on how consumer attitudes to dealing with organizations are changing.
However, Dr Millard notes there is a danger in assuming that because of the increased interest in self-service that customers will no longer call. They are looking for much more detailed information than before. Maxis teams with Astro on content, access. Maxis and local media entertainment group Astro have joined forces to develop and co-market selected products and services for consumers and households in Malaysia, a move which could help them expand quickly into their respective markets.
The pair signed an agreement yesterday, under which they will develop and co-market unique consumer packages combining Astro B.yond IPTV and Astro On-The-Go services, together with Maxis’ fiber internet, mobile internet, wireless internet and ADSL services. Under the tie-up, Maxis will be the value-added fiber broadband service provider for Astro, which in return will be the IPTV provider for the Malaysian integrated communications service provider’s fixed and wireless platforms.
Maxis customers can also have access to a specially developed content package from Astro, the companies said. The companies said they are in the midst of developing the packages, targeted to be launched in phases. 12 Things Killer Employees Do Before Noon. A recent study published in an American Psychological Association journal, Emotion, suggests that early birds are generally happier than night owls.
More than 700 respondents, ranging from ages 17 to 79, were surveyed and asked about their emotional state, health, and preferred time of day. Self-professed "morning people" reported feeling happier and healthier than night owls. Researchers hypothesize that one of the reasons could be because society caters to a morning person's schedule. It's certainly true that the working world does. Working "9-to-5" is more than an expression, but a standard shift for many Americans. It also stands to reason that those who like rising with the sun are also the most productive employees in the office. Do you want to be more like them? 1. [In Pictures: 10 Ways to Boost Work Productivity.] 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. [See 7 Work Habits That Are Making You Sick.] 7. 8. The '7 habits' that changed the world. Dr Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Photo: Jessica Hromas In honour of renowned author Stephen Covey, who died this week at age 79, we've decided to succinctly break down the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People from his all-time best-selling book, which sold 20 million copies.
Here's the short version, but we recommend you buy his book: 1) Be Proactive As human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Advertisement 2) Begin With The End In Mind Mental visualization is extremely important. 3) Put First Things First With your power of independent will, you can create the ending you want to have. 4) Think Win/Win If you believe in a better way to accomplish goals that's mutually beneficial to all sides, that's a win/win situation. 5) Seek First To Understand, Then To Be Understood If you're a good listener and you take the time to understand a concept, it will help you convey your opinions, plans and goals to others. 6) Synergise 7) Sharpen The Saw Business Insider.
DiGi launches money transfer service. Fiona Chau | July 11, 2012 telecomasia.net Malaysian mobile operator DiGi Telecommunications has teamed up with local banker Malayan Banking (Maybank) to offer a new over-the-counter remittance service. The service, DiGi SendMoney enables Malaysians and migrants to remit cash to nine countries across Asia. The service will be offered at 20 DiGi centers across Malaysia, including three newly-established DiGi Remittance Centers. Lim Hong Tat, deputy president and head of community financial services at Maybank predicted that total remittances of RM3.37 billion ($1.05 billion) will be sent through the MME service this year, thanks to the current sustainable economic growth and the increased number of foreign workers in the country. DiGi's head of financial services Galvin Yeo said the new service will facilitate money transfers for DiGi and non-DiGi customers to nine countries, namely Indonesia, Philippines, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Myanmar and Brunei.
Numbers on India's entire mobile segment. Multiple reports came out this week that give us a close look at some numbers about the mobile market in India. I've broken the report into 4 main categories: Mobile SubscribersHandset FiguresValue Added ServicesMobile Banking Mobile Subscribers The Telecom Regulatory body of India (TRAI) releases monthly subscriber data and their May 2012 report has shown strong numbers for India's mobile growth story.
Total mobile subscribers in May: 929.37 Million (April: 921.02 Million=8.35 Million new subscribtions)Active mobile subscribers: 689.33 MillionUrban subscribers: 596.98 MillionRural subscribers: 332.38 Million The interesting development that TRAI has noticed is the growth in rural areas. Urban wireless subscribers: 64.54% (previously 64.24%)Rural wireless subscribers: 35.76% (previously 35.46%) Not much has changed in the operator marketshare with Bharti Airtel leading the pack. Putting some numbers to those percentages: Handset Figures Nokia—23%Samsung—14.1%Micromax—5.8% Nokia vs Samsung. Optus launches start-up seed fund. Optus is working with sister SingTel company Innov8 on a new start-up program offering up to $250,000 in funding for eight start-ups. The new Optus Innov8 Seed Program will begin picking start-ups that are referred to the program by incubators like Pollenizer, AngelCube or Pushstart from July. Optus will also hold a number of pitch events at Fishburners' offices in Sydney and York Butter Factory's office in Melbourne.
Successful applicants will be given up to $250,000 in funding, co-working locations in Sydney and Melbourne, mentorships and access to communications and hosting facilities. Optus, through SingTel, will also help the start-ups expand into the Asia-Pacific region, leveraging SingTel's 445 million worldwide customer base. SingTel Innov8 CEO Edgar Hardless told journalists in Sydney today that Optus is seeking to address the challenges that start-ups face in trying to find funding in Australia, and to keep the companies here, rather than seeing them leave for Silicon Valley. 10 Steps To Designing An Amazing Infographic. Information can be useful—and even beautiful—but only when it’s presented well.
In an age of information overload, any guidance through the clutter comes as a welcome relief. That’s one reason for the recent popularity of information graphics. Infographics are visual designs that help to explain complicated data in a simple way (mental-health emergencies at Burning Man, anyone?). But how are they created? Over the last decade, Hyperakt has come to specialize in this type of design, and we’ve found a process that works for us. 1. Sifting through data is where it all begins. 2. While it’s tempting to read only the highlighted facts and skim the rest, this shortcut tends to result in more time wasted later. 3.
What starts as boring data will become a boring infographic unless a great story can be found. 4. As a story emerges from the data at hand, it’s time to stop for a reality check. The truth in information takes experience to uncover. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 10 Job Interview Tips From A CEO Headhunter. No two situations are ever exactly the same, but as a general guide, these are the types of questions that could come up in a typical interview. 1. Why don’t you tell me about yourself? This question, often the interview opener, has a crucial objective: to see how you handle yourself in unstructured situations. The recruiter wants to see how articulate you are, how confident you are, and generally what type of impression you would make on the people with whom you come into contact on the job. The recruiter also wants to learn about the trajectory of your career and to get a sense of what you think is important and what has caused you to perform well.
Most candidates find this question a difficult one to answer. However, the upside is that this question offers an opportunity to describe yourself positively and focus the interview on your strengths. There are many ways to respond to this question correctly and just one wrong way: by asking, “What do you want to know?” 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. MTN customer complains of mobile money fraud. Australia Post lands opening salvo in digital mail war. David Ramli Australia Post has landed an important first blow in the battle of the electronic mailbox by signing up Telstra as its first official customer. On Thursday both companies signed a memorandum of understanding to commit the telco to using Australia Post’s Digital MailBox to deliver electronic versions of bills to customers.
The move strengthens Australia Post’s case against its only rival in the space Digital Post Australia, which is a joint venture between Salmat, Computershare and the technology provider Zumbox. While companies like Telstra already deliver bills via email, digital mailboxes are designed to be secure internet letterboxes from which Australians can receive and pay bills from multiple utilities, councils and govenmernt organisations. With physical letter volumes in steep decline Australia Post is in a race against rival firm Digital Post Australia, a joint venture between Salmat and Computershare, to become the dominant provider of secure online mail services. Analysts challenge CBA to hold tech lead. Standing room only as analysts listen to CBA technology chief Michael Harte at the strategy update Photo: Rob Homer Paul Smith Financial analysts have responded positively to Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s technology strategy update , saying the bank has reinforced its position at the head of the local banking sector.
But they note the challenge now shifts towards making CBA’s advantage pay and maintaining its lead. Morningstar analyst David Ellis said technology now differentiated the big four banks and CBA had so far successfully followed a strategy to develop simple, safe, mobile and social products for a customer base that was rapidly embracing modern technology. “CBA is clearly executing a strategy based on a strong desire to leverage technology to develop more informed, deeper and more profitable customer relationships, while improving productivity and building a sustainable competitive advantage,” Mr Ellis said. We're changing the game: CommBank. Michael Harte, CIO, Commonwealth Bank, at this week's technology update event. Photo: LT The Commonwealth Bank is banking on more than real-time transactions and iPhone apps to claim technology leadership into the future. Since the launch of the iPhone app Kaching, Australia's second largest bank has basked in the glow of its association with cool technologies.
This week's tech briefing update to analysts and media in Sydney was designed to prove it is making progress, although it is somewhat reliant on giant German software vendor SAP. "Today I'm going to explain our competitive advantage from the application of world-leading technologies and introduce you to three world leaders, world experts who are driving value from technology," chief information officer Michael Harte said. Advertisement At the core of the bank's tech-led confidence is real-time banking, a promise made possible by improvements in core banking platforms.
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