This article first appeared in Digital Edge, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on June 26, 2023 - July 2, 2023

Nasdaq-listed digital infrastructure company Equinix Inc plans to open its first data centre in the Klang Valley in 1Q2024. This follows its announcement last year that it would enter the country with a data centre in Johor.

Equinix’s expansion is expected to provide digital infrastructure capacity to address the rising demand from local and global companies that are expanding in Malaysia, which is one of the fastest-growing data centre markets in Asean.

The new facility aims to accelerate the digital vision laid out in the government’s MyDIGITAL blueprint to establish Malaysia as a hub for colocation in Asean and a regional digital economic powerhouse.

The new facility, KL1 IBX data centre, will be located in Cyberjaya while JH1 will be built in Johor. The KL1 IBX data centre is expected to enable global networks, content providers and enterprises to exchange high volumes of internet traffic via the Equinix Internet Exchange.

The company currently operates 51 data centres in 13 metros across Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, with expansions announced in Indonesia and Malaysia.

The government has initiated a flagship capital market programme aimed at boosting graduate employability and ensuring a sustainable talent pipeline to help ease the shortage of talents in the country’s capital market.

To be known as NextGen Capital Market Talent (investED), the initiative was launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on June 19. The three-year initiative was first announced in Budget 2023 and is being driven by the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Higher Education, Bursa Malaysia and capital market industry players.

Through the initiative, the government aims to enhance the capital market knowledge of 9,000 students across public and private universities as well as provide job opportunities for 600 graduates over the three-year period. Additionally, up to 2,400 graduates are expected to benefit from a structured certification programme known as the Foundation Programme, managed by the SC’s learning arm, the Securities Industry Development Corporation.

Job placements and on-the-job training will be provided by capital market firms under investED’s leadership programme. — By Ravinyaa Ravimalar

Maybank Islamic has launched a will-writing service known as EzyWasiat for the local Muslim community. The digital service allows customers to plan and prepare their will within 30 minutes and is in accordance with shariah and faraid (Islamic inheritance) principles.

The EzyWasiat platform will direct customers to Maybank Islamic’s wealth management advisers and relationship managers who will utilise the built-in faraid algorithm to simplify the will writing process. Faraid is a concept in Islamic law that determines the rights of heirs and the portion of inheritance to be given to them.

With the necessary documents in hand, customers can make a will from as low as RM600.

Maybank Islamic developed the EzyWasiat website in collaboration with fintech platform provider CreateWills Sdn Bhd. It also received advisory support from its dedicated customer relationship personnel.

According to CEO Datuk Mohamed Rafique Merican, estate and legacy planning is important as there are assets worth more than RM70 billion held under the Unclaimed Moneys Act 1965 that are pending distribution.

EzyWasiat can be accessed by any Muslim who is of sound mind and able to understand the nature and purpose of a will; a Malaysian citizen; and aged 18 years and above for residents in Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak and aged 21 years and above for residents in Sabah.

Those interested can initiate the procedure by sending an email to [email protected], providing their full name and phone number. Subsequently, a personal financial adviser or relationship manager from Maybank Islamic will contact them to guide them through the required procedures. — By Ravinyaa Ravimalar

The Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) has unveiled an outreach programme called Innovation Mixer in Malaysia. The public body was set up by the Hong Kong government in 2001 to foster innovation and technology (I&T) development in the island state.

HKSTP now aims to reach out to enterprises and talents from around the world to expand the I&T ecosystem in the region.

Via the Innovation Mixer, HKSTP hopes to empower Malaysian businesses and local talents to access opportunities in Hong Kong’s Greater Bay Area and China markets.

HKSTP has nurtured 14 highly successful start-ups and has become the primary research and development centre in Hong Kong. It houses more than 13,000 research experts and over 1,400 technology firms specialising in health tech; artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics; fintech; and smart city technologies. — By Ravinyaa Ravimalar

Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) and data technology market leader Fusionex have launched the Matrade Digital Trade Platform (MDTP), an AI-powered trade platform aimed at maximising Malaysia’s export potential and assisting local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in expanding their businesses.

Launched on June 13, MDTP connects and interfaces with a smart trade facilitation hub that simplifies complex trade procedures, reduces costs and expedites the movement of goods.

Powered by Fusionex, MDTP utilises cutting-edge AI and advanced analytics to monitor, measure and manage export revenue, trend analysis, marketing campaigns and sales activities.

The AI-driven business matchmaking algorithms eliminate guesswork, allowing MDTP members to identify and secure meetings with credible entities that align with their business requirements.

MDTP has already welcomed numerous Malaysian businesses, ranging from large corporations to MSMEs, as well as buyers from China, Japan, South Korea, the US, the UK, Germany, Saudi Arabia, India, Dubai, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Brunei.

The businesses involved span diverse sectors, including franchising, oil and gas, palm oil, commodities, materials, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, toiletries and cosmetics, and information and communication technology. Such variety enables Malaysian and foreign enterprises to find suitable business matches on the platform.

MDTP has also formed strategic partnerships with key Asean markets, associations, state governments, international marketplaces and leading financial, insurance and logistics partners to empower MDTP members to explore global trade opportunities.

At present, MDTP has more than 1,200 members enrolled in the digital platform and this figure is expected to surge, driving the platform’s growth.

Matrade and Fusionex have established a series of hand-holding programmes to help local MSMEs kickstart their global trade activities, which include business assessment, training and certification, financial assistance, a cross-border e-commerce platform and virtual engagement activities.

Since its soft launch on July 28 last year, MDTP has far exceeded its five-year target of RM70 million in revenue by onboarding 3,500 companies. Currently, the platform has accumulated more than RM100 million in revenue with just 1,200 MSMEs registered.

The platform utilises a B2B e-commerce enabling system that offers a suite of innovative solutions such as the Matrade Virtual Engagement platform, Matrade Marketplace, Marketplace Aggregator and a link to the Fusionex Digital Trade Hub. — By Arina Musthafa

Yayasan Petronas (YP) is calling for applications for its grant, which is for initiatives that are aligned with YP’s focus areas: powering knowledge (human capital development), uplifting lives (community well-being) and planting tomorrow (preservation and conservation of the environment). The deadline for submission is July 7.

For the 2023 grant cycle, YP is looking for proposals that provide community-based disaster risk management through nature-based solutions; school programmes focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics; and special education needs programmes. The grant is for projects that can be completed within three years, with a funding estimate of RM100,000.

Applicants will be notified of their eligibility by July 17. Eligible applicants will receive templates for proposal submission.

For more information, email [email protected] or visit https://www.yayasanpetronas.com.my/grants.

Information and communications company Huawei Technologies Malaysia has appointed Simon Sun Luyuan as its new CEO as part of the company’s commitment to support the development of Malaysia’s digital economy. Prior to this, Sun was the CEO of Huawei Korea from 2020 and has been with the company since 2006.

Sun’s new role will see him overseeing the company’s organisational strategy and goals, maintaining customer-centricity at all levels of communication with stakeholders, and ensuring the company holds steadfast to embody its core values.

Google Cloud has appointed Mark Micallef as managing director of its business in Southeast Asia. Micallef will be responsible for driving regional strategy, direction, team development and overall revenue performance for Google Cloud and Google Workspace while working with teams across Google to help customers reimagine their business and industry through bold and responsible artificial intelligence (AI) innovation.

Prudential Assurance Malaysia Bhd is among the many companies globally that have been affected by the MOVEit data theft attack. In an email to Prudential insurance customers, it said that personal customer details and/or their life assured’s personal details were affected. This included name, national identification or passport number and contact details.

MOVEit, the file transfer software, was compromised with a zero-day attack that went undetected, dating back to May 27. The vulnerability was exploited to upload a web shell onto the MOVEit Transfer server. This also allowed threat actors to enumerate files and folders on the MOVEit Transfer server, read configuration information, download files, and create or delete MOVEit server user accounts.

“Our customers are our highest priority and as soon as we became aware of the breach, we took action to isolate the affected server while the incident response team launched an investigation which is still ongoing. We have also notified relevant authorities,” the email read.

Vicky Ray, principal at Unit 42 Threat Intelligence for Japan and Asia-Pacific from Palo Alto Networks, said Prudential acted swiftly and promptly to resolve the vulnerability discovered in the MOVEit software by patching and updating its defence measures. He added that by swiftly informing affected customers and providing urgent support, it has gone above and beyond.

“Reporting a data breach on this scale, where there are no legal requirements, should be commended and should be the norm,” he said.

“This tragedy serves as a poignant reminder to businesses that data breaches happen not if but when. Even with the most advanced cybersecurity measures in place, persistent threat actors will keep trying to get past defences. Hence, it becomes paramount for organisations to prepare for the worst-case scenario and craft comprehensive recovery plans to minimise the impact of such breaches.”

Palo Alto, in a blog post, revealed that at least 2,377 servers had been exposed through this leak, and the organisations engaged with MOVEit’s services have been impacted by the result of the hack.

Palo Alto recommends businesses to:

●    Educate and promote safe practices to empower employees as the first line of defence;

●    Prepare for any eventuality through strategic planning, prudent resource allocation and well-crafted incident response plans;

●    Set up routine security assessments and audits to help realise the full potential of the security posture; and

●    Stay vigilant and constantly informed of the ever-changing cyber threat landscape to stay ahead of the curve and thwart potential threats.

Malaysia’s first artificial intelligence (AI) radio DJ, Aina Sabrina, was developed by Fly FM’s production designers. Aina can create and mix music in real time, offer music recommendations based on individual preferences and is equipped with an extensive music database.

Logitech’s new G PRO X 2 Lightspeed wireless gaming headset is the perfect gear for pro-gamers and e-sports athletes. Designed and tested with top e-sports athletes, it features the new PRO-G 50mm graphene drivers, making it a must-have headset for the most discerning and competitive players.

With the use of graphene, it can create a driver that is both incredibly rigid and, at the same time, lightweight. Notable features of the headset include wireless, Bluetooth and wired connections (3.5mm Aux). The headset now delivers wireless with up to 50 hours of use on a single charge and a consistently robust wireless connection range of up to 30m.

The PRO X 2 Lightspeed wireless gaming headset is available on Logitech G’s official Lazada and Shopee pages from RM1,099.

Malaysia- and US-based motion design platform LottieFiles has released its official plug-in for design platform Figma, where users can create single- or multiple-frame animations. They can also import their private animation library into Figma.

With the integration, designers can now enhance their Figma projects by adding motion to prototypes and products remotely. These advanced tools are accessible to designers of all skill levels.

Using the LottieFiles animation library, designers can import various Lottie animations for their projects without leaving the Figma environment. Meanwhile, the plug-in allows designers to effortlessly create Lottie animations and export them as production-ready assets, thereby streamlining the animation process.

Key features:

●    Effortless animation creation: Auto-animate frames and string together multiple frames to create mesmerising animations that breathe life into designs;

●    Seamless Lottie animation integration: Access a vast library of Lottie animations, importing them directly into Figma for seamless integration; and

●    Streamlined asset export: Export animations with Figma to Lottie as production-ready code, simplifying the hand-off process between the design and development teams.

Language is humanity’s most spectacular open-source project, and the internet is making our language change faster and in more interesting ways than ever before. Internet conversations are structured by the shape of our apps and platforms, from the grammar of status updates to the protocols of comments and @replies. Linguistically inventive online communities spread new slang and jargon with dizzying speed. What’s more, social media is a vast laboratory of unedited, unfiltered words where we can watch language evolve in real time.

Even the most absurd-looking slang has genuine patterns behind it. Internet linguist Gretchen McCulloch explores the deep forces that shape human language and influence the way we communicate with one another. She explains how your first social internet experience influences whether you prefer “LOL” or “lol”, why ~sparkly tildes~ succeeded where centuries of proposals for irony punctuation had failed, what emoji have in common with physical gestures, and how the artfully disarrayed language of animal memes like lolcats and doggo made them more likely to spread. — Amazon

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