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NetApp Simplifies and Speeds Digital Transformation for Customers Through Deep, Industry-Leading Public Cloud Relationships

NetApp ONTAP is the only storage and data management software now available natively in the top three public clouds, enabling organizations to build a hybrid multicloud data fabric

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 21 October 2021 – Today at INSIGHT 2021, NetApp® (NASDAQ: NTAP), a global, cloud-led, data-centric software company, announced continued growth and momentum from helping organizations unlock the best of cloud at less cost, through its collaboration with the world’s three largest public clouds.

 

NetApp’s expansion in the cloud has been driven by customers and supported by these partnerships, accelerating NetApp’s public cloud services’ customer and financial growth by bringing its leading CloudOps and ITOps solutions to existing and new addressable customers. Furthering its investment in the cloud, NetApp acquired Data Mechanics in early fiscal year (FY)’22, and this month announced the intent to acquire CloudCheckr to bolster the Spot by NetApp portfolio’s existing continuous cloud optimization capabilities.

 

This growth, driven by NetApp’s ONTAP data management software, which provides high-performance shared storage for file and block workloads, has propelled the native integration of NetApp’s cloud file services into each of the major public clouds.

 

“The three largest public clouds in the world are choosing NetApp, because customers are choosing ONTAP,” said Anthony Lye, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Public Cloud Services, NetApp. “Our strategy has positioned ONTAP as the native shared storage solution with rich data services inside the three public clouds. Now, our public cloud partners provide customers with the simplest path to the cloud and allow them to derive the most value from their data and applications.”

 

“The completeness of NetApp’s offering, combined with the ability to address a very broad set of storage use cases beyond cloud file storage, and the availability as a tier 1 offering both on AWS and Azure, makes it a compelling choice,” said Enrico Signoretti, Senior Data Storage Analyst, GigaOm[1].

 

Microsoft Azure

NetApp has partnered with Microsoft for nearly 30 years. In 2021, Microsoft recognized NetApp as the global Customer Experience Partner of the Year, and the U.S. SAP on Azure Partner of the Year. In the last 12 months, NetApp has more than tripled the number of co-sells offered on the Azure Marketplace, making it easy for Azure customers to consume NetApp’s leading cloud services.

 

Since its general availability in 2019, Azure NetApp Files (ANF), a fully managed, first-party service sold, billed, and supported by Microsoft in more than 35 regions globally, is the first and only shared file service certified for use with SAP HANA. Recent innovations with Azure include the general availability of Azure Cross Region Replication, public preview of Azure NetApp Files Backup to preserve storage efficiencies, and of Spot PC for secure, optimized Azure Virtual Desktop-based Cloud PC environments.

 

“Alongside NetApp, we have worked with ANF customers to successfully migrate and run some of their largest and most important ONTAP production workloads, enabling the most demanding applications with performance and scale that meets or beats what they get on-premises,” said Jurgen Willis, Vice President, Product Management, Microsoft Azure Storage.

 

“With ANF we get scalability and flexibility, which is important for businesses to run and have a faster time-to-market for their products,” said Lalit Patel, Chief Technology Officer, Enterprise Cloud Services, SAP. “We are able to deploy environments almost 30 to 40 percent faster and reduce the number of outages by 80 percent because of the stability that ANF provides.”

 

Google Cloud

 

NetApp and Google Cloud began collaborating in 2018, introduced NetApp Cloud Volumes Service (CVS) for Google Cloud in 2019, and launched NetApp Astra with support for Google Cloud in 2020. Earlier this month, Google announced that NetApp would serve as the primary data and storage vendor for its new Google Distributed Cloud Hosted offering and introduced the integration of Google Cloud VMware Engine with NetApp Cloud Volumes Service support for VM datastores – a fully managed service that helps organizations meet their need for virtual workload storage and disaster recovery.

 

“Our partnership with NetApp continues to grow, rolling out new capabilities that will make it easier and more cost-effective to deliver enterprise workloads on Google Cloud and bringing customers even more flexibility across hybrid and cloud deployments,” said Bronwyn Hastings, Vice President, Global Technology Partnerships, Google Cloud.

 

“With NetApp’s deep integrations with Google Cloud, we’re reaping all of the benefits of the cloud as a service, with configurations preset, elasticity built-in and disaster recovery capabilities in place within five minutes,” said Tom Gentry, Technologist, Gunpowder. “By making the technology challenges disappear for these studios, we’re able to deliver the high performance our customers need anywhere in the world.”

 

Additionally, Spot by NetApp and Google Cloud have partnered to help companies take full advantage of the recently announced Google Spot VMs. With this, Google Cloud customers can continuously optimize performance, availability, and cost with Spot by NetApp for cloud cost savings, without the risk of service interruption.

Additional Resources:


[1] Source: GigaOm, Radar for Cloud File Systems, September 22, 2021

About NetApp:

NetApp is a global cloud-led, data-centric software company that empowers organizations to lead with data in the age of accelerated digital transformation. The company provides systems, software and cloud services that enable them to run their applications optimally from data center to cloud, whether they are developing in the cloud, moving to the cloud, or creating their own cloudlike experiences on premises. With solutions that perform across diverse environments, NetApp helps organizations build their own data fabric and securely deliver the right data, services, and applications to the right people – anytime, anywhere. Learn more at www.netapp.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

NETAPP, the NETAPP logo, and the marks listed at www.netapp.com/TM are trademarks of NetApp, Inc.

#NetApp

NetApp Expands Hybrid Cloud Solutions Portfolio to Unlock Best of Cloud

New hybrid cloud updates fuel digital transformation, enabling organizations to optimize operations for cost, scalability, agility, and speed

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 21 October 2021 – Today at INSIGHT 2021, NetApp® (NASDAQ: NTAP), a global cloud-led, data-centric software company, announced new additions and enhanced capabilities across its hybrid cloud portfolio, to help organizations modernize their IT infrastructure and accelerate digital transformation. Delivering new secure ways to consume and operate data services on-premises and in the cloud, NetApp hybrid cloud solutions make it simpler for enterprise customers to put their data to work  wherever and whenever they need it.

 

As the only solutions provider with native integrations for the world’s largest public clouds, NetApp’s industry leading ONTAP® software continues to serve as the foundation for hybrid cloud. With the latest release of ONTAP, NetApp is introducing enhanced protection against ransomware, expanded data management capabilities, and NVMe/TCP support for accelerated performance. The company is also announcing new digital wallet capabilities for NetApp Cloud Manager and enhanced data services for simplified administration across a hybrid cloud, more flexible consumption options to better control costs, as well as new Professional Services offerings to help customers unlock the full value of on-premises and hybrid cloud resources.

 

“The promised benefits of migrating to the cloud may be profound, but many IT departments are still working to overcome on-premises challenges, like managing the complexity and costs of moving data, protecting against ransomware, and ensuring reliable performance for critical applications,” said Sanjay Rohatgi, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific, NetApp. “As the hybrid cloud specialist, NetApp can help enterprises move their digital transformation efforts forward to deliver business results faster and within budget – whether they are still developing a strategy or in the middle of executing large-scale migrations.”

 

“IDC’s research shows that approximately 70 percent of enterprise IT customers plan to modernize their storage infrastructures in the next two years to support next-generation workloads. But the key operational advantage will be in optimizing workload placement across traditional on-premises and cloud environments,” said Eric Burgener, Research Vice President, Infrastructure Systems Group, IDC. “As an industry leader with years of innovation and expertise delivering hybrid cloud solutions, NetApp is uniquely positioned to help enterprises transition to hybrid cloud models to achieve the scalability and flexibility they need to deliver critical data services and workload capabilities that drive business value.”

 

Innovative organizations leading their respective industries are adopting NetApp hybrid cloud solutions to accelerate digital transformation

 

For organizations navigating an increasingly distributed and disrupted world, where agility and adaptability are key to survival, a hybrid cloud strategy has become a strategic imperative.

 

“Formula One racing has always been about finding the competitive edge, and with Aston Martin Cognizant’s return to the F1™ grid this year, we’re embracing an ambitious data-centric strategy to maximize our performance both on and off the track as we seek pole position,” said Otmar Szafnauer, Chief Executive Officer and Team Principal, Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team. “By partnering with NetApp to build our data fabric and standardize operations with its world-class hybrid cloud solutions, we’re working to ensure that everything we do – from capturing real-time data on car and component performance to how we streamline factory and engineering operations – is focused on constant improvement and driving the team forward.”

 

NetApp’s latest portfolio innovations announced today include:

  • ONTAP Data Management Software Enhancements: The latest release of ONTAP enables enterprises to autonomously protect against ransomware attacks based on machine learning with integrated pre-emptive detection and accelerated data recovery. The new release also delivers enterprise-grade performance for SAN and modern workloads with NVMe/TCP support, expanded object storage capabilities, and simplified management. In addition, this latest ONTAP release will power the upcoming NetApp AFF A900, the next-generation high-resiliency all-flash system for business-critical workloads.
  • Enhanced Data Services: With new digital wallet capabilities available in NetApp Cloud Manager, customers can benefit from greater mobility and more visibility into usage of data service licenses across a hybrid cloud, with pre-payment of credits enabling streamlined deployment to avoid procurement hassles. Additional updates include enhancements to NetApp Cloud Backup and Cloud Data Sense services, simplified deployment of Cloud Volumes ONTAP with new customer-ready templates, fully embedded Active IQ, and deeper integrations with NetApp Cloud Insights and ONTAP software to support Kubernetes workloads.
  • More Flexible Consumption Options: NetApp Keystone Flex Subscription, an on-premises storage-as-a-service offering with native cloud integration, continues to gain momentum with customers. The offering is now supported on four continents – encompassing petabytes of capacity within just under one year of availability. NetApp is now offering a new freemium service tier for Cloud Volumes ONTAP, providing customers with access to a fully featured, perpetual license to use ONTAP in the cloud for workloads needing less than 500 gigabytes of storage. This consumption flexibility gives organizations the freedom to use enterprise-grade data services for small workloads, such as Kubernetes clusters, at no initial cost. An organization only needs to convert to a subscription when the workload matures and scales.

“As a leading IT consultancy specializing in cloud infrastructure and services, our clients are increasingly working with us to reduce CAPEX spending, by taking advantage of cloud-like consumption models for their on-premises environments,” said Kent Christensen, Virtual Practice Director, Cloud and Data Center Transformation, Insight. “NetApp Keystone helps us provide a truly flexible consumption model for enterprises, serving as a platform to provide business-critical data services across the entire hybrid cloud data fabric, which will be a huge boon for our growing client base.”

  • More Accessible Hybrid Cloud Expertise: NetApp is also introducing new Support and Professional Services offerings to make it even easier to access experts for step-by-step guidance as they transition to hybrid cloud. With SupportEdge Advisor for Cloud, NetApp is extending its data center support model to cloud services with rapid, direct access to trained specialists. NetApp Flexible Professional Services (FlexPS) is also available for customers that require on-demand and ongoing support as they transition to a hybrid cloud. With this new subscription-based offering, organizations can get the professional help they need to design and build a data fabric strategy, implement solutions, and optimize their hybrid cloud with predictable costs and avoid procurement delays.

Additional Resources:

 

About NetApp:

NetApp is a global cloud-led, data-centric software company that empowers organizations to lead with data in the age of accelerated digital transformation. The company provides systems, software and cloud services that enable them to run their applications optimally from data center to cloud, whether they are developing in the cloud, moving to the cloud, or creating their own cloudlike experiences on premises. With solutions that perform across diverse environments, NetApp helps organizations build their own data fabric and securely deliver the right data, services, and applications to the right people – anytime, anywhere. Learn more at www.netapp.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.

NETAPP, the NETAPP logo, and the marks listed at www.netapp.com/TM are trademarks of NetApp, Inc.

#NetApp

Lao State Inspection Authorities Uncover Trillions Lost to Corruption

Vientiane Skyline (Photo - ASEAN Skyline)
Vientiane evening skyline (Photo: ASEAN Skyline)

The State Audit Organization and the State Inspection Authority of Laos have uncovered massive losses of over LAK 1.5 trillion and USD 147,387 this year.

Laos Confirms 392 New Cases of Covid-19 and Two Deaths

Savannakhet Covid-19 Update

Laos has recorded 392 new cases of Covid-19 across the country today, with two new deaths.

Small Luxury Hotels of the World pushes on with Expansion in China with 4 New Hotels

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Media OutReach – 21 October 2021 – Small Luxury Hotels of the World continues its expansion as the brand welcomes 4 member hotels including 3 new openers to its China portfolio. SLH now has 20 hotels in Greater China (including 15 hotels in mainland China), making it the largest collection of members in the Asia-Pacific.

Mark Wong, Senior Vice-President Asia-Pacific of SLH said: “At SLH we champion independently-owned hotels and make sure we provide them with the best possible platform to connect with independently minded travellers. We are delighted to welcome our new members in China, all quality homegrown brands which we are proud to introduce to the world. Over the past four years we have worked hard to expand our foothold in mainland China, and we are now well-placed throughout China to appeal to local guests looking for enthralling luxury getaways for now, as well as international guests wanting to experience diverse facets of Chinese culture when travel borders re-open imminently.”

 

Resort

Jangala Dunhuang (Gansu, Dunhuang)

25 rooms from CNY1,700 with breakfast

Opened 15 September 2021

 

As the first ultra-luxury hotel in Dunhuang along the ancient Southern Silk Road, Jangala Dunhuang aims to create a modern private retreat with a blend of local culture. Drawing inspiration from the Silk Road and the area’s most famous UESCO landmark Mogao Grottoes, its Jangala namesake signifies “oasis in the wilderness” in Sanskrit. Located near Mingsha Mountain’s Crescent Moon Spring in the scenic Qili Town, the hotel covers a vast area of 10,000 square metres. With environmental preservation being a key consideration, the hotel adopts natural building materials, minimalist design aligned with its surroundings, the use of natural lighting and renewable energy in addition to environmentally-friendly amenities. At the same time, the desert retreat comes with its own vineyard and organic vegetable garden. The Living Room fuses minimalist marble décor with cosy sofas, and is also a boutique and art exhibition space. Outside, the Water View Theatre puts on a range of shows all year round, while the spacious rooms and suites make luxurious exhibits of desert and sky. For guests wanting to up the romance, the Courtyard Suite comes with a TV projection wall on its outdoor terrace, in addition to a stargazing telescope. Its rooftop Mirage Bar, also the city’s first international bar, is the best place to catch Dunhuang’s spectacular golden sunsets.

 

SLH Insider Tip: There is plenty to do for guests wanting to immerse in the local culture and customs, from exploration tours and mural research expeditions to the Mogao Grottoes (莫高窟), Mingsha (Sighing Sand) Dunes (鸣沙山) and nearby Crescent Moon Spring  (月牙泉), desert camping, camel rides, desert cycling to wine brewing workshops, meditation sessions and private sunset dinners.

 

Country House

Qiushui VillaHangzhou

11 rooms from CNY7,900 with breakfast

Opened 6 August 2021

 

A century-old villa turned lakeside retreat on the shores of Hangzhou’s West Lake, everything about Qiushui Villa is designed to press pause on the bustle of modern life. Built by the founder of the influential newspaper” Shanghai News” Shi Liangcai for his wife Shen Qiushui, the revitalized building fuses the very best of China’s rich history with well-appointed contemporary comforts. The implicit beauty of Chinese culture comes through its landscaping inspired by ancient Jiangnan architecture – flanked by stone statues and vibrant flowers, the central courtyard sets the scene of the owner’s poignant love story. The arched cornices and wooden lattice windows on the original building are now protected as cultural relics. The rooms and suites continue this theme, with modern design touches and handpicked antique furniture. Each suite is named after historical personalities such as Feng Zikai (Chinese painter) and Zhang Ailing (novelist), each decorated in a different style. The spacious garden deck is perfect for holiday reading, while a state-of-the-art fitness suite is available for personal workouts. Add to the mix unique French cuisine, a never-too-much-to-ask butler service and a stunning infinity pool, and you have a truly luxurious escape.

 

SLH Insider Tip: Watch mist rise from the serene waters of the West Lake’s famed Broken Bridge right from your room in the morning, step out and explore its many winding causeways and bridges by bike, or simply revel in the poetic charm of the mansion’s surroundings. Fun fact: the owner was very fond of “Dream of Red Mansions” and reproduced the protagonist Jia Baoyu’s Yihong Courtyard at Qiushui Villa.

 

Country House

Valllie HotelHangzhou

8 rooms from CNY5,800 with breakfast

 

Hidden in the heart of the lush forest by the South Yangtze River, serenaded by the chimes of the tower bells of nearby Liuhe Pagoda, Vallie Hotel embodies a combination of nature’s charm and the inclination towards simplicity, making it feel like a picturesque romantic escape from another era. Guests looking for utmost privacy would appreciate its location and quietude. Once homes for local tea farmers, the restored buildings blend beautifully into the tree-filled landscape. Minimalist furnishings, white linens and exposed wooden beams make each generously-sized room a calm and relaxing space. All rooms come with 24-hr heated private pools filled with water from the nearby Hupao Tiger Spring, and some also feature private courtyards and living rooms for entertaining guests. For those who would like to explore the surroundings, the hotel is in close proximity of Liuhe Pagoda, which towers above the trees and offers stunning views over the Qiantang River.  

 

SLH Insider Tip: The low-key hotel’s French gastro lounge SHIJIU (溪畔十九) is highly lauded on social media, and has guests specially coming to the secluded valley to visit. By day the gastro lounge serves a sumptuous afternoon tea encircled amongst nature while it transforms into a fine-dining setting when night falls. For those celebrating special occasions, private dining set within the hotel’s French-style garden can be arranged.

  

With the addition of two new Hangzhou members, SLH now has a total of four hotels in this ‘city of heaven’, each with its unique character and surrounding leisure highlights to suit the independently-minded traveller. Beyond Hangzhou’s picturesque West Lake vistas and cultural sites, idyllic mist-covered tea hills, an unpretentious food scene, lively shopping streets and buoyant nightlife make the city easily one of the most popular holiday destinations in mainland China. SLH recommends the best sights with our Hangzhou city guide. For those wishing to explore further, combine the journey with nearby Shanghai and Nanjing.

 

Resort

Yulongwan Lakeview Hotel (Kunming)

132 rooms; Rates TBC

Soft Opening early Q1 2022

 

Surrounded by dense, green forest, rolling mountains and clear waters, SLH’s first member hotel in the capital city of Yunnan province is a haven of natural beauty. Overlooking the Yulongwan river, the Lakeview Hotel resides in the mountain valley of Kunming – affectionately known as the ‘City of Eternal Spring’ for its year-round spring-like temperatures, always-in-bloom flowers and low air pollution. From floor-to-ceiling windows to terrace-style balconies, every aspect of this hotel designed by Norihiko Shinya, former Vice President of Japanese design company SUPER POTATO, has been designed to showcase its surroundings. Meanwhile inside, Japanese-inspired minimalism effortlessly combines simplicity with luxury: picture cool neutral tones, wood panelling and enviable lake and mountain views from every room. All elements converge to create a lakeside living experience for guests to savour the art of slow travel and its natural surroundings, and ultimately leave with a better quality of life.

 

SLH Insider Tip: With 870,000 square meters of dense green forest and rolling mountains as well as 200,000 square meters of crystal lake water, Yulongwan Lakeview Hotel is abuzz with adventure. Home to over 30 horse breeds, Yulongwan Equestrian Club – complete with indoor equestrian venues, dressage pastures and outdoor competition venues – is the perfect place to learn a new skill or reignite a forgotten passion.  Wildlife trails, water-sports and famed Yulongwan golf course are also nearby. Or if you feel like venturing further afield, the hotel is well-placed to visit Kunming’s famous local attractions.

 

More information and images can be downloaded here or via www.slhimages.com

 

About Small Luxury Hotels of the World:

Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ (SLH) is the most desirable community of independently minded travellers and independently spirited hotels in the world. We turned the luxury boutique hotel into a phenomenon and selected the distinctive, the diverse and the downright delightful. People, places and experiences with individual character, intimate charm and inherent class. We’ve personally visited, vetted and verified over 520 hotels in more than 90 countries. We are envisioning a future where people experience the world with intention, experience its intensity and protect its integrity. Be part of the community – join us at INVITED, visit us at www.slh.com, contact a travel agent or call the Small Luxury Hotels of the World VIP Desk. Click here to view a full contact listing by country.

I: @smallluxuryhotels / F: @smallluxuryhotelsoftheworld / T: @SLHLuxuryHotels

#smallluxuryhotels

edotco Group launches inaugural Infrastructure Design Competition in collaboration with University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

Expecting more than 100 entries from top engineering universities across 16 Asia countries

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Media OutReach – 21 October 2021 – edotco Group (‘edotco’), the region’s leading telecommunications infrastructure services company, is organising the first in Asia, Infrastructure Design Competition in collaboration with the University Community Transformation Centre under Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (‘UCTC-UKM’). The competition is open to Year 3, Year 4, and postgraduate Engineering students who are currently studying in universities based in Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Japan, Korea, and China.

 

edotco is organising the first Infrastructure Design Competition in Asia, in collaboration with the University Community Transformation Centre under Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (‘UCTC-UKM’).

 

Themed “Infrastructure for Tomorrow: Designing the Future”, this competition is edotco’s annual commitment to provide today’s aspiring youths with a platform to engage with experienced leaders, gain industry knowledge and attain technology exposure while applying their skills to create innovative solutions. The competition was piloted in Bangladesh last year to nurture talents within the student community in the country and successfully garnered a total of 28 contestants from 7 teams.

 

UKM is edotco’s academia partner in organising and leading the university-student engagement initiatives. Both parties will join hands in the industry-academia mentorship sessions to coach and mentor participants throughout the competition process to ensure the outcomes align with the judging expectations.

 

Adlan Tajudin, Chief Executive Officer of edotco Group said, “As a regional towerco, we acknowledge the importance of nurturing innovation and cultivating the importance of sustainability amongst the youth. Through this competition, we aim to spearhead innovation while upskilling youths across Asia. It is a part of edotco’s ongoing efforts on fostering a future-ready workforce that is capable of building next-generation technologies for the telecommunications industry.”

 

“The technical focus of the competition brings together innovation, cost efficiency, feasibility & functionality, and environment-friendly solutions. Education institutions play an important role in shaping future telecommunication talents, and we are delighted to work with UKM on creating this platform for skills development. We look forward to involving these university students in our efforts of developing a sustainable and efficient future, and we are excited to see the creative ideas that are about to come,” he added.

 

More than 100 submissions will be accepted at the competition. To participate, students must form teams of 2 to 4 participants consisting of at least 1 student from the Civil Engineering major. Upon successful registration, teams will be required to design a tower and foundation that fits the next generation of telecommunication infrastructure criteria based on the given Technical Framework. Over a period of 65 days, edotco and Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment of UKM will conduct mentorship sessions to coach participants on their projects and proposals.

 

The Top 5 entries will be selected for a presentation to the panel of judges, consisting of experts from edotco, the industry, and academicians from UKM, at the virtual Grand Finale that will take place in March 2022. A total of 3 winners with innovative ideas will win cash prizes totalling up to USD 5,000.

 

Registration for the competition opens from 14 October to 24 October 2021. For more information about the Infrastructure Design Competition or to register, visit: https://uctc.ukm.my/news/edotco-infrastructure-design-competition/.

About edotco Group

Established in 2012, edotco Group is the first regional and integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company in Asia, providing end-to-end solutions in the tower services sector from tower leasing, co-locations, build-to-suit, energy, transmission and operations and maintenance (O&M).

edotco Group operates and manages a regional portfolio of over 41,700 towers across core markets of Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Philippines and Laos. edotco strives to deliver outstanding performance in telecommunications infrastructure services and solutions. Its state-of-the-art real-time monitoring service, echo, has driven significant improvements in field operations while maximising operational efficiencies in terms of battery, energy and fuel consumption for telecommunications infrastructure.

#edotcoGroup

Chubb Gold Fortune Deferred Annuity Plan offers stable inflation-proof retirement income

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 21 October 2021 – Life expectancy of Hong Kong’s men and women is expected to increase to 83 and 89 respectively by 2024,1  adding further pressure on savings already hit by low interest rates in recent years.  As people live longer, there is a strong need for stable inflation-proof income for the retirement life.

 

In response to the challenge above, Chubb Life Hong Kong has launched “Chubb Gold Fortune Deferred Annuity Plan” (“Chubb Gold Fortune”) which offers increasing guaranteed income over time.

 

This gives customers greater financial certainty, with the knowledge that they will be able to enjoy a certain standard of living during retirement. Chubb Gold Fortune offers customers a secure income stream for retirement with a guaranteed monthly annuity income that increases by 5% annually from the 2nd year of the annuity period.

 

Wai Kit Chan, Chief Marketing Officer of Chubb Life Hong Kong said “We understand that customers value choice and flexibility, so we have designed two premium payment terms – five years and 10 years. Customers are also allowed to start receiving their annuity income at the age of 55 or 65.  Also, the projected breakeven period of the policy can be as short as 8 years2 and customers can apply for premium holidays.  Additionally, it makes financial sense from a tax perspective as the policy owner can claim up to HK$60,000 tax deduction from the qualifying deferred annuity premiums paid per tax assessment year.3

 

Chubb Gold Fortune offers further peace of mind with an additional 10% of the guaranteed monthly annuity income in the unfortunate event of the insured being diagnosed with total and permanent disability before the annuity period starts.  A lump sum is paid to the beneficiary(ies) providing financial security if the insured passes away. If there is only one beneficiary, he/she can opt to receive the remaining monthly annuity income instead of a lump sum.

 

Further product information can be found at: https://www.chubb.com/hk-en/personal/chubb-gold-fortune-deferred-annuity-plan.html

 

Remarks:

1.        <Hong Kong Population Projections 2020-2069>, The Census and Statistics Department, The Government of the HKSAR

2.       The number of years to reach breakeven point is for reference only and it is subject to the premium payment mode, premium payment term as well as the actual amount of non-guaranteed benefits which are determined by us from time to time and based on our experiences and expectation of a series of factors including but not limited to investment return, claims, policy surrenders and expenses.

3.        The maximum tax-deductible limit is an aggregate of qualifying deferred annuity premiums and MPF tax-deductible voluntary contributions. Taxpayers must meet all the eligibility requirements for tax deductions for qualifying deferred annuity policy set out in the Inland Revenue Ordinance and any guidance issued by the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to claim this tax deduction. Please refer to the website of the IRD (www.ird.gov.hk) or contact the IRD directly for any tax related enquiries.

 

About Chubb Life Hong Kong

Chubb Life is the international life insurance division of Chubb. In Asia, Chubb Life operates in Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Korea, Myanmar, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, and participates in a joint-venture in China. Chubb Life has been in Hong Kong since 1976. To meet the financial protection and wealth management needs of its broad range of customers, Chubb Life Hong Kong (Chubb Life Insurance Company Ltd.) offers a range of life protection, savings, accident and health insurance solutions through agents and brokers. Additional information can be found at: http://life.chubb.com/hk

About Chubb

Chubb is the world’s largest publicly traded property and casualty insurance company. With operations in 54 countries and territories, Chubb provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients. As an underwriting company, we assess, assume and manage risk with insight and discipline. We service and pay our claims fairly and promptly. The company is also defined by its extensive product and service offerings, broad distribution capabilities, exceptional financial strength and local operations globally. Parent company Chubb Limited is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: CB) and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Chubb maintains executive offices in Zurich, New York, London, Paris and other locations, and employs approximately 31,000 people worldwide. Additional information can be found at: www.chubb.com

#ChubbLife #Chubb

The Enabling Festival 2021: Trigger our food memories via Taste to enable and support persons living with dementia and their caregivers

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 21 October 2021 – Enable Asia, a local social enterprise focused on advocacy for persons living with dementia and their caregivers, kicks off its fourth instalment of the Enabling Festival today.  Supported by The Majurity Trust and Agency for Integrated Care, the annual event focuses on building awareness and facilitating discussions around dementia, as well as provides a channel of support and enablement for persons living with dementia and their caregivers.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Health with her mother, Mdm Kasmawati preparing mee siam for the Master Cook Series, a campaign to inspire persons living with dementia and their caregivers to connect through shared memories involving their favourite foods, in support of the Enabling Festival 2021.

Perceiving dementia in new ways, online

This year’s festival hones in on showcasing the experiences of persons living with dementia and caregivers to foster greater awareness around how persons living with dementia and their caregivers perceive dementia and navigate the world around them. The theme for this year is on Taste. Taste is a powerful sensory experience that triggers a rush of memories from long ago, or even seemingly forgotten. Food memory is a powerful time machine that can teleport a person to another time and place. It can also unearth deep-rooted memories of a person loved and treasured in the past. These memories are often strong because they utilise each of the senses. Most people have probably experienced a deep memory just by smelling something such as clean laundry, air after the rain or frying of belachan in the kitchen. When the senses of taste, smell, sight, sound and touch are combined while eating, the memory is made more vivid.

The two-week long festival will run from 22 October to 4 November 2021. Given the current pandemic, the festival programme (see Annex) will be held online to reach the wider community, amid safety measures in Singapore. Enabling Festival Artistic Director, Jeremiah Choy, said, “I am most delighted to reprise my role for the fourth time and see the festival grow from strength to strength. It has been a very challenging year, and because we are going fully virtual, we have to grapple with more online technical and technological issues. Thankfully, everyone is full hands-on deck and we are happy to roll out a festival that is informative, engaging and fun.”

Caring for persons living with dementia and their caregivers in a digital post-COVID future

As dementia becomes a growing concern among the ageing population in Singapore, the Enabling Festival also serves as a digital platform to engage persons living with dementia and their caregivers, and offer insightful recommendations on how they can guide their rehabilitation and self-care routines in the digital age. As more individuals are taking steps to adopt technology and go digital, Enable Asia aims to find innovative ways to enable and empower persons living with dementia and caregivers with information and online events. These initiatives will keep vulnerable groups connected to sources of care services and support in the community, to co-create a more dementia-friendly and socially inclusive society as Singapore progresses.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Advisor of Bukit Batok East constituency, also Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Communications and Information & Ministry of Health, will grace the Launch of the Enabling Festival as Guest-of-Honour this year. “We are indeed seeing more residents living with dementia in the community. In Bukit Batok East, our volunteers together with the social service agencies, community partners and the Agency for Integrated Care are looking into how to better support our residents living with dementia and their caregivers. We have set up Dementia Go-To Points, Caregiver Support Network and activities to engage persons living with dementia to co-create a safe and inclusive Dementia-Friendly Community in Bukit Batok East. Beyond our localised community, I am very glad that others such as Enable Asia are also doing their part to engage persons living with dementia. The Enabling Festival has a wide variety of programmes and I look forward to participating in the Master Cook Video Series to share my personal food memory,” shared Ms Rahayu Mahzam.

“As sole primary caregivers to our parents with dementia, we, together with a very small group of fellow caregivers, are keenly aware of the support that caregivers need in order to continue to provide care for their loved ones sustainably. More needs to be done to understand and address this often-silent group in the community, whose responsibilities have weighed more heavily especially during the pandemic period,” said Daniel Lim and Danny Raven Tan, Co-founders, Enable Asia. “We are honoured to have sponsors and partners in this journey to influence social policy and improve the quality of life for both persons of dementia and their respective caregivers, and even strengthen their place in the social fabric of a close-knit community.”

Register for Enabling Festival 2021: https://enablingfestival2021.eventbrite.sg

Access the Enabling Festival 2021 programme brochure in PDF here: https://bit.ly/3AOspP7

ANNEX – ENABLING FESTIVAL PROGRAMME

Food Memory Project – The Launch of a Master Cook Video Series

This is a video series that aims to catalogue unique shared experiences through personal cooking sessions. In line with Singaporean culture which has unique stories of local food, the series also looks into possibilities of cognitive rehabilitation by re-enacting fond memories and re-kindling deep connections between caregivers and persons living with dementia, keeping their memories alive in videos.

Art-Based Activity – The Launch and Sale of a Colouring Book “Colour Our Memories”

Studies have shown that performing art-related activities with caregivers, including colouring, has positive benefits to dementia-related behaviour. Colouring as a recreational activity helps to ease agitation or aggression in persons living with dementia as it is therapeutic and calming. The colouring book aims to provide an avenue for caregiver and persons living with dementia to connect meaningfully through a shared and relaxing activity, as they relive nostalgic memories together by colouring in the illustrations of their favourite local dishes.

Science Behind the Impact of Taste and Food Memory on Dementia

Clinicians and nutritionists will discuss gut health and share insights on the impact of taste and food memory on dementia and discuss how caregivers and persons living with dementia can seek respite from the debilitating situation.

Tackling Early Onset of Dementia

As The Enabling Festival 2021 is set to launch, the festival recounts the bravery and resilience behind the human stories that continue to make this festival possible. Ms Emily Ong is a strong advocate for education on Young Onset of Dementia (YOD). Her dementia journey began with the French toast incident, where she completely forgot the ingredients to prepare her children’s favourite dish. She believes advocacy is about using one’s lived experience and story to call for a social change and to improve the quality of life for persons living with dementia. She personally videoed a dish on the Master Cook series.

Connecting to seniors and caregivers in their own language

To further expand the reach of the Enabling Festival and engage with senior persons living with dementia directly in their own dialects, programmes have been curated in Hokkien and Cantonese, as well as Malay.

 

About Enable Asia

Enable Asia is a Singaporean Social Enterprise founded by two caregivers to persons living with dementia, who are passionate in educating and raising awareness about the caregiving journey and also to enable those living with dementia.

They envision working with an inclusive community to identify problems and co-create solutions through various key initiatives such as The Enabling Festival to achieve their objectives.

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