Mrs Tan Ching Yee, Chief Executive Officer Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore Speech - Launch of NYP-IBM Services Innovation Zone, Raffles City Convention Centre
Mrs Tan Ching Yee, Chief Executive Officer
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
Speech - Launch of NYP-IBM Services Innovation Zone, Raffles City Convention Centre
Singapore, 13 September 2002
Good morning
Mr John Joyce, Senior Vice President and CFO, IBM,
Mr Lin Cheng Ton, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, Nanyang Polytechnic,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Introduction
1. I am happy to be here today to be part of the official launch of the NYP-IBM Web Services Innovation Zone. Web Services is widely seen as the next engine of growth for the software and IT services industry. IDA believes that Singapore is poised to take a leading position in the development and adoption of Web Services in Asia. This is possible, given our good infrastructure, high Internet penetration, excellent regional and international connectivity, as well as the presence of many Infocomm companies. IBM, as a leading technology company, can help provide the critical impetus to drive the development of Web Services.
NYP-IBM Web Services Innovation Zone (WIZ)
2. IDA supports this strategic collaboration between Nanyang Polytechnic and IBM in launching the NYP-IBM Web Services Innovation Zone (WIZ). Leveraging on IBM's technology, WIZ aims to promote Open Web Services Standards such as XML, SOAP, WSDL and UDDI, to allow software developers to work with open standards programming models and deploy Web services over multiple platforms.
3. Being a progressive academic institution with strong industry links, Nanyang Polytechnic has established a track record of developing skilled professionals to meet the manpower needs of the industry. Nanyang Polytechnic will not only develop capabilities in Web Services but will also promote the development of innovative applications and services. I am therefore pleased to announce that IDA is appointing Nanyang Polytechnic as a Pilot & Trial Hotspots (PATH) Assessment Centre.
4. IDA supports the adoption of open standards because it provides users with the opportunity to choose among products from multiple suppliers and gives IT companies the ability to offer innovative solutions. We are heartened that WIZ is harnessing Open Web Services Standards to bring about more interoperability options for users. We hope to see more of such collaborative efforts by our industry partners in building capabilities to support the emerging web services cluster.
IBM's Linux Integration Zone (LIZ)
5. Now that we have WIZ, we of course have to give it a partner - LIZ. We are supportive of and pleased to see the establishment of the Linux Integration Zone (LIZ) in Singapore to allow business partners and customers to build, test and deploy Linux-based solutions in various industries. Linux is one of the technologies that is incorporated in IDA's technology roadmap. It is also a skill set supported in our Critical Infocomm Technology Resource Programme (CITREP). We encourage the industry to continuously explore new technologies that can provide users with many more options.
Conclusion
6. IBM is a key player in Singapore's IT industry and has contributed significantly to its growth and development. IDA together with EDB, is constantly in discussions with IBM to strengthen its strategic presence in Singapore. We welcome IBM's investment and commitment to the Open Computing Centre. I am glad to know that IBM has committed to invest S$18 million over the next one year in this initiative. I look forward to IBM's continued commitment to this initiative.
Thank you.
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