As the twentieth century drew to a close, Dr. Ng Kok Loon was convinced that the market was ready for business intelligence solutions. With more than 10 years of experience in both the public and private sectors, he was a firm believer in what IT could deliver to businesses.

With this conviction, Dr Ng founded iCo-op.net, a business intelligence solutions company with the vision of going global with its own indigenous technology. He set his sight on distant shores, using Singapore as a platform to the rest of the ASEAN region. "It is tough for a start-up to rely solely on the Singapore market," he says, "to succeed in the long run, you must look to the overseas markets."

By developing its own business intelligence tools powered by technology from Computer Associates Inc (CA), iCo-op.net has been able to weather the uncertainty of the fast-changing IT market.

Partnerships are vital to success, Dr Ng said. "In today's business environment, there is no way you can do everything yourself. You also can't rely on just organic growth. By working with a good partner, you can shorten the development time and time to market."

Partnering with CA under IDA's Infocomm Local Industry Upgrading Program (iLIUP), iCo-op.net has achieved considerable successes in regional markets like Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, but Dr Ng is still hoping to do more: "Working with an established company like CA, we have the opportunity to move beyond the region. With iCo-op.net adding value to CA's solutions, we are looking forward to bringing things to the next level and the global market."

In the early days of iCo-op.net, companies were wary of investing in new technologies when the economy was uncertain. Many felt that the safer option was to hold down investments and wait out the storm. Dr Ng said that the way he overcame this reluctance to spend was through patience, persistence and education. "I would show them the capabilities of our solutions and let them know what benefits they could provide them. As I showed sincerity, they were gradually won over," he said.

Looking back, Dr Ng was glad that he was able to turn the adversity brought about by the economic doldrums into an opportunity. "I understood that things wouldn't get better overnight," he said, "I anticipated it would take at least two to three years, but I was willing to wait. So both the company and I stayed focused and confident on what we could achieve." The hard work by him and his team was a contributing factor to their solutions' success.

Now as iCo-op.net heads for further expansion, he is looking forward to the new challenges that success brings. "It is important to get your strategy right. As you grow, you must stay focused on what you want to achieve and find the partner who shares this vision. By working together you can bring value to your customers and you will both succeed."

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Religious Affairs takes to e-Govt
Borneo Bulletin, 28 Sep 2005

By M K Anwar

Four main e-government projects for the Ministry of Religious Affairs were officially launched yesterday by its Minister, YB Pehin Dato Seri Utama Dr. Ustaz Hj Awg Mohd Zain bin Hj Serudin.

The four completed main projects are part of the 13 e-Government projects that have been identified by the Ministry in its push towards e-Government implementation. The Ministry has been allocated more than B$40 million for the 13 projects.

In a speech by the Minister of Religious Affairs, who was also the chief guest at the event, he acknowledged that ICT is one of the important elements in the fields of management and services and is now an important element in the lives of the modern community.

Its influence can be felt nowadays and will continue to do so because it has made people interact easily, fast and efficiently, said the Minister.

The Minister also said that the Internet has been used negatively to spread pornographic material, lies, slanderous information and, the most dangerous of all, "deviant teachings and ideas that divert the Islamic faith".

"Whilst facing these negative elements, people must also take full advantage of the Internet to strengthen further the Islamic faith and to propagate further its teachings," said the Minister.

Pehin Dato Dr Ustaz Hj Awg Mohd Zain mentioned that we must be positive in dominating the ICT skills since computers nowadays have become part of the culture in our lives.

At the same time, the chief guest hoped that all the officers and staff at the Ministry of Religious Affairs would continue and not be left behind in improving themselves in the use of the new ICT facilities. "They must cooperate by taking full advantage of the computer facilities prepared and take the initiative and optimise their use effectively to help in achieving the e-Government aims," he said.

Earlier in a speech by the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Dato Awg Hj Abdul Rahman bin Hj Mohiddin noted that the four projects had been agreed upon by the e-Government Programme Executive Committee.

The four projects are namely the Infrastructure Networking and Data Centre, Zakat Management System (SPZ), e-Islam Information Kiosk and the Islamic Information System (SisMi).

Dato Awg Hj Abdul Rahman also said that the Infrastructure Networking and Data Centre will be the hub for all the Ministry's e-Government projects.

"This is because all the servers will be located and centralised at the Ministry's building which then will be responsible to control the planned other network or system implemented through a Local Area Network of a Wide Area Network. About 700 computers and its accessories will be supplied to the officers in the Ministry of Religious Affairs," he said.

"As for the Zakat Management System (SPZ), this project will effectively and efficiently help in the collection and distribution of Zakat (tithe). This system will also in the future provide the necessary information on the services provided by the Zakat Collection and Distribution Unit at the Ministry of Religious Affairs."

"SisMi meanwhile is one of the projects that will develop the systems and Islamic applications that are related to the task and responsibilities of the Ministry. It will also be developing the new website of the Ministry," said the Permanent Secretary.

"For the e-Islam Information Kiosk, this project is a knowledge and information based project. A total of 18 kiosk machines will be placed in several strategic locations. Eleven kiosks will be located at all the major mosques in the country while the rest will be located in government buildings and public facilities such as the hospital, airport, UBD and commercial areas. Information in these kiosks will be updated every two months."

The launching ceremony also coincided with the opening of the three-day Open Day for e-Government projects of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The event is open to all government officers and staff, especially those under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Two of the projects are showcased on the 2nd floor of the Ministry building and the other two in the lobby area.

Four of the companies involved in the newly launched e-Government projects are ITIS Wescot Technology Sdn Bhd, Jurusy Perunding Sdn Bhd, Folec Communication Sdn Bhd and HakbaSkali Sdn Bhd.

Also present at the launch was the Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs, YB Pehin Dato Ustaz Hj Awg Badaruddin along with senior officials from the Ministry.

Nine other Religious Affairs e-Government projects will be implemented soon. These include I-Masjid, I-Dirasah, I-LMS, Haj Management System, Second Phase SisMi, Infra Phase 2, Integration Smartcard Services and the Maktabah Islam Management System.

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Conference on the next step of e-Government
31 August 2005, Wednesday, Borneo Bulletin, Vol 10, No 053


By Helena M Mahathir

Over 100 government officials attended a conference yesterday on "e-Government: The Next Step" at Empire Hotel and Country Club. It was aimed at providing them with an insight into the best practices for implementing e-Government around the world and their latest developments.

Organised in collaboration with partners Quint Wellington Redwood, VersaPAC Sdn Bhd and iCo-op.net Pte Ltd, the event was also held by Computer Associates International to enhance participants' awareness on the topic with its focuses on cooperation and a case study.

Speakers at the conference addressed key issues pertaining to the adoption of e-Government, namely optimisation of investments, security and sharing of sensitive information, IT governance, as well as how agencies could achieve goals through auditable processes.

"There is a growing trend across Southeast Asia. Brunei can use technology to meet the increasing needs for developing and deploying comprehensive solutions, as well as citizen-centric services that would improve its efficiency, promote economic growth and bridge the digital divide," remarked Mr Hee Keen Keong.

Mr Hee is the Consulting Director for Asia South Computer Associates Technology Services and Technology Strategist. He said that interactive websites might also bring the people closer to their government, as it facilitates and encourages communication, while appealing to foreign inventors. "A study conducted in 2004 ranked Brunei 140 out of the 198 e-Government nations analysed. Considering that Brunei's Information Technology Programme is part of its National Development Plan and about B$950 million has been allocated for the e-Government initiative, it is clear that there is a strong commitment to implement and utilise IT for the nation's prosperity. "We are confident that Brunei will soon improve its ranking and look forward to sharing our expertise as well as knowledge towards helping the Sultanate and accelerating its adoption process.

"With this, the country will come one step closer to establishing a nationwide e-Government initiative and 'Virtual Brunei Online'," added Mr Hee.

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iCo-op.net Pte Ltd is the main sub-contract of Solsis which has been awarded the “e-court” system.

By Shamini Darshni

The "e-court" system, where case registration, judicial administration and keeping of records go on-line, has been implemented in 11 courts. The pilot project has been introduced at selected High Courts in the Klang Valley.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said the system was geared towards greater efficiency of the court system, quicker disposal of cases and the reduction of bureaucracy.

"A local company called Solsis has been awarded the project and it is already under way," Radzi said today.

It was earlier announced that the pilot project would cost RM40 million.

The system involves equipping courts with computer hardware, relevant software, data retrieval processors and on-line communications, to be accessed by judges, prosecutors and administrators.

Radzi said the pilot project would be evaluated before the system was extended nationwide.

He added that judges and court staff would receive advanced training in the use of computer technology.

Bar Council president Kuthubul Zaman Bukhari, in welcoming the introduction of the system, hoped it would be extended to other States quickly as it would help dispose of cases faster.

He said the Bar Council was waiting to be briefed on the system to enable it to disseminate the information to all lawyers.

In advanced countries, he said, the e-court system allowed lawyers to file their statements of claim without having to appear in court.

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