SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 14 July 2021 – PTC System (S) Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of IIJ Inc. (PTC), today announced the launch of an AI Integration Hub to enable enterprises to better harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science to solve complex problems. The PTC AI Integration Hub is built on NetApp® ONTAP® AI, a converged infrastructure stack that combines NVIDIA DGX™ systems for compute and NetApp All Flash FAS (AFF) for cloud-connected storage.

Created to accelerate the deployment of AI application use cases, the AI Integration Hub brings High-Performance Computing (HPC) to the enterprise through a validated architectural design for compute, storage and networking. Organizations that aim to use NVIDIA® CUDA® to stress test and optimize their AI models can now also access the services offered by the AI Integration Hub for free.

In addition, the AI Integration Hub’s easy-to-deploy and holistic edge-as-a-service solution offers testing on stackable smart edge devices that dramatically transforms the deployment of AI and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

SS Lim, Chief Executive Officer, PTC said, “As an innovative solutions provider, we leveraged NetApp ONTAP AI to create the AI Integration Hub for ISVs, customers, organizations, and others. Our goal is to accelerate their applications’ ability to run on a fully-loaded NVIDIA DGX A100 with eight NVIDIA A100 GPUs. By offering to conduct testing for free, we then aim to encourage AI adoption and we believe that this is an investment in our collective future. While there are many organizations that provide compute power for AI testing, the AI Integration Hub is the first to offer AI testing with the latest NVIDIA DGX A100.”

“AI workloads require high performance infrastructure to enable enterprises to run AI training, inference, and data science workloads,” said Ken Chua, Managing Director, PTC. “The AI Integration Hub helps accelerate our customers’ success by creating a simplified path to AI adoption. This reinforces PTC’s commitment toward offering our customers the best-in-class infrastructure, end-to-end security, and data center solutions.”

Recent benchmark testing for organizations, such as PI. Exchange and Speakr, have resulted in incredibly fast and remarkable outcomes. As PTC rolls out the AI Integration Hub in Singapore and across the Asia-Pacific region, it will double down on helping organizations boost their AI initiatives.

PTC is a member of SMART Urban Co-Innovation Lab (SMARTLAB), Southeast Asia’s first industry-led lab for smart cities solutions development, initiated by CapitaLand and supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Enterprise Singapore. SMARTLAB will focus on six key industry verticals of advanced manufacturing, digital wellness, intelligent estates, smart mobile, sustainability, and urban agriculture. The AI Integration Hub can play a pivotal role in supporting SMARTLAB projects.

“We are proud to collaborate with PTC to bring the AI Integration Hub to life,” said Mark Leong, Country Manager, Singapore, NetApp. “NetApp ONTAP AI helps streamline data flow and speed up analytics, training, and inference through a data fabric that cuts across edge, on-premises and cloud environments. By delivering unified AI workloads and simplified deployment, we believe that this new solution will enhance businesses’ ability to acquire the insights they need to expand their customer touchpoints, reinvent customer experiences, and achieve their strategic transformation goals.”

“NVIDIA’s accelerated computing technology can help to significantly shorten the time it takes to develop and perfect AI models,” said Dennis Ang, Director, Enterprise Business ASEAN and ANZ Region at NVIDIA. “By enabling access to a world-class accelerated computing infrastructure, the AI Integration Hub is offering companies an opportunity that should not be missed.”

Organizations that would like to test their AI applications and understand the best approach to setting up a secure HPC and AI infrastructure across both on-premises and in the cloud can reach out to PTC at 65-62820255 for more information.

About PTC

PTC System (S) Pte Ltd is a subsidiary of IIJ Inc. that specializes in providing enterprise data management solutions and services to manage the technology challenges of enterprise customers. Our strengths are built upon our passion, total commitment, and vision on data management services to help our customers to achieve the best business results like better performance, investment protection and maximum value. More information at www.ptcsys.com.

#PTCSystem

Service innovations boost customer satisfaction

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 14 July 2021 – MSIG Insurance (Hong Kong) Limited (“MSIG”) today published its second annual MSIG Claims Report (“the report”) which revealed a significant increase in customers using its industry-leading EASY Claims online platform to submit claims in 2020. The results highlight MSIG’s ability to deliver innovative services to meet the growing digital needs of its customers during the pandemic.

EASY Claims, an award-winning online claims platform launched in 2018, received 26.9% more submissions from customers who took out policies via traditional channels in 2020. Claims submitted through the platform also covered a broader range of products, with a 48.4% increase in claims from non-travel insurance policyholders.

The report showed that over 92% of respondents of Annual Claims Survey rated MSIG’s overall claims experience as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’, an increase of four percentage points from the previous year.

Philip Kent, Chief Executive Officer of MSIG, said: “The encouraging results of our 2020 Claims Report reflect our commitment to continuously improving our products and services to deliver on our promise to customers. Although the pandemic has been a challenging period for the insurance industry, it has sent a clear signal that our customers need more and better digital services to adapt. We will continue to innovate and stand by our customers as a reliable partner.”

Delivering on MSIG’s service pledge

According to the report, MSIG honoured claims totalling HK$466.6 million in Hong Kong and Macau in 2020 and achieved a claims settlement ratio of 91.1% for all claims made during the period. Despite the impact of COVID-19, MSIG maintained its service pledge to acknowledge claim submissions within two working days and settle claims within five working days.

In terms of settlement ratios by class, the top five in 2020 were Employees’ Compensation in Hong Kong (100%), Helper (98.8%), Personal Accident (98.1%), Motor (96.1%) and Healthcare (95.1%).

Enabling partners and intermediaries

In March 2021, MSIG upgraded the business and claims management features of its EASYi Claims and Policy Management Portal to help intermediaries better serve their clients. MSIG’s business partners can now access client documents and monitor claims from anywhere on a single application. These process improvements are not only time-saving but also creating a positive impact on the environment by reducing the need for printing.

MSIG also implemented a number of security protocols on the portal to further protect records and prevent hacking, including time-based one-time passwords (TOTP) and multi-factor authentication (MFA) tokens.

Protective measures during COVID-19

MSIG introduced a variety of measures at the onset of the pandemic. In addition to the EASY Claims platform whereby customers were able to submit claims online without the need for physical documentation, MSIG provided remote water damage assessments through interactive video tools, reducing the need for physical visits from claim specialists. This lessened the risk of exposure to COVID-19 for the company’s employees and customers as well as helped minimise claim processing times.

MSIG also acted quickly in providing travel insurance premium refunds for journeys impacted by COVID-19.

To assist its marine insurance customers affected by the pandemic, MSIG’s claims specialists advised on ways to reduce their risk exposure and implement controls, such as adjusting their packing and delivery methods to minimise delays. As the COVID-19 situation worsened, the company also expedited claims payments to provide additional support to businesses dealing with unexpected operational disruptions.

Ongoing industry recognition

In 2020, MSIG continued to gain recognition for its exceptional products and services. It received industry accolades, including “Best Design App – Silver award” at the DigiZ Awards 2020; “Excellence in Change Management – Gold award”, “Excellence in Learning & Development, Gold award” and “Excellence in Innovative Business Solutions – Silver award” at the HR Distinction Awards 2020; “Insurance Initiative of the Year – Hong Kong” at the Insurance Asia Awards 2020; and “Best Loyalty Programme – Finance & Insurance, Gold award” at The Loyalty & Engagement Awards 2020.

About MSIG Insurance (Hong Kong) Limited (“MSIG Hong Kong”)

MSIG is a member of the MS&AD Insurance Group, Asia’s leading general insurance brand with presence in 46 countries and regions globally. The Group is amongst the world’s top 10 non-life insurance groups based on gross revenue*. It is the number one Japanese insurer with A+ Stable credit rating. With over 40,000 employees world-wide, MSIG is represented in all ASEAN markets as well as in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Korea, India and Taiwan.

A wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company, Limited, MSIG Hong Kong offers a wide range of solutions and services through an extensive distribution network including agents, brokers, and bancassurance alliances with leading banks. It has been providing general insurance solutions to customers in Hong Kong for more than 160 years, dating as far back as 1855.

*2020 Fortune Global 500, Property & Casualty Insurance Category

#MSIG #MSIGHongKong

Trend Micro research warns of threat from unpatched legacy vulnerabilities

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 14 July 2021 – Trend Micro Incorporated (TYO: 4704; TSE: 4704), a global cybersecurity leader, released new research urging organizations to focus patching efforts on the vulnerabilities that pose the greatest risk to their organization, even if they are years old.

Trend Micro Research found that 22% of exploits for sale in underground forums are more than three years old.

To view a full copy of the report, The Rise and Fall of the N-day Exploit Market in Cybercriminal Underground, please visit: https://www.trendmicro.com/vinfo/hk/security/news/vulnerabilities-and-exploits/trends-and-shifts-in-the-underground-n-day-exploit-market.

“Criminals know that organizations are struggling to prioritize and patch promptly, and our research shows that patch delays are frequently taken advantage of,” said Tony Lee, head of consulting at Trend Micro Hong Kong and Macau. “The lifespan of a vulnerability or exploit does not depend on when a patch becomes available to stop it. In fact, older exploits are cheaper and therefore may be more popular with criminals shopping in underground forums. Virtual patching remains the best way to mitigate the risks of known and unknown threats to your organization.”

The report reveals several risks of legacy exploits and vulnerabilities, including:

• The oldest exploit sold in the underground was for CVE-2012-0158, a Microsoft RCE.
• CVE-2016-5195, known as the Dirty Cow exploit, is still ongoing after five years.
• In 2020, WannaCry was still the most detected malware family in the wild, and there were over 700,000 devices worldwide vulnerable as of March 2021.
• 47% of cybercriminals looked to target Microsoft products in the past two years.

The report also reveals a decline in the market for zero-day and N-day vulnerabilities over the past two years. This is being driven in part by the popularity of bug bounty programs, like Trend Micro’s Zero Day Initiative, and the rise of Access-as-a-Service – the new force in the exploit market.

Access-as-a-Service has the advantages of an exploit, but all the hard work has already been done for the buyer, with underground prices starting at $1000USD.

These trends are combining to create greater risk for organizations. With nearly 50 new CVEs released per day in 2020, the pressure on security teams to prioritize and deploy timely patches has never been greater – and it’s showing. Today, the time to patch averages nearly 51 days for organizations patching a new vulnerability. To cover that gap in security protection, virtual patching is key. It is based on intrusion prevention technology and offers a hassle-free way to shield vulnerable or end-of-life systems from known and unknown threats indefinitely.

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.trendmicro.com.hk

#TrendMicro

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 14 July 2021 – The hot summer is a time when fruits are selling rapidly. Many citizens said that under the epidemic, everyone is concerned about the health of themselves and those around them, so they will buy delicious fruits for themselves and for the people they care for. The CEO of Give Gift Boutique and the CEO of Fruitually said that tremendous changes have taken place in the consumption behavior of fruit this year. Thus, they are taking measures to meet the changes in customer needs, such as providing online shopping service, reducing packaging costs, and improving the quality of logistics services, to meet the demand for a quality life.

“Quality First” Has Become A Trend

These years, there’s a trend of buying high-priced fruits in Hong Kong. The sale of imported fruits is soared, and the fruits of medium and high prices are especially popular with young people. Although imported fruits are nutritious, they are expensive, and their exquisite packaging contributes a large part of the price. Thus, Fruitually imports superior-quality fruits from the globe and use the concise package to reduce prices as much as possible. In addition, they import high-quality and low-cost fruits for customers to choose from. The measures seem rebel, but the CEO of Fruitually said that he believes these measures will be welcomed by customers, “According to our sales data, in addition to the famous imported fruit, the sales of high-quality fruits with a better price is soaring which shows consumers still value the quality of fruits the most”.

Online Fruit Shopping Has Become The Norm

Many consumers are worried that the fruit will become rotten or late arrival for online fruit shopping, so they usually buy on their trusted online shop. The CEO of Fruitually said that frequent customers cover at least half of their customers. To retain frequent customers and attract new customers, they provide online channels, such as the online shop of Fruitually, WhatsApp group, network broadcast, and other quick purchasing channels, and order special couriers to deliver fruits within the next day. What’s more, they had promised if there are some rotten fruits, they will exchange them with the fine ones. He wishes these measures could deepen the trust.

Adding Superior-Quality Imported Fruits To Fruit Hampers

The epidemic has generated a “healthy style” for gifting. The demand for fruit hampers has increased slightly than before, especially since some companies have ordered quite many exquisite fruit hampers with superior quality imported fruits to their clients. On the other hand, the demand for fruit gift baskets has become more personalized. For example, people prefer hampers with imported fruits and practical gifts like baby products, festive gifts, and decorations at a reasonable price.

Give Gift Boutique knows that consumers like practical gifts most, therefore Give Gift Boutique plans to add more kinds of superior quality imported fruit and high-scoring practical gifts of the globe to enrich the categories and make their effort to keep exquisite packaging as well as a reasonable price.

About Fruitually And Give Gift Boutique

“Fruitually ” is a local online fruit company. The company team has more than ten years of experience in fruit procurement. It takes the highest quality fruit, the most reasonable price, and the most convenient delivery service as its principles. In addition to the store, it also provides online fruit ordering and door-to door delivery services. https://www.fruitually.com/

Give Gift Boutique is the leading online flower shop in Hong Kong. It is managed by senior florist designers in the Netherlands and Toronto. It operates in the boutique workshop model and serves corporate and individual customers throughout the year. Since its opening in 2008, it has been committed to providing customers with high-quality flower bouquets, mid autumn gifts, birthday gifts, etc. https://www.givegift.com.hk/

#GiveGiftBoutique #Fruitually

– The award recognises Cloud Comrade’s performance in service delivery, growth in AWS business, and a significant contribution to Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) in Singapore/ ASEAN region in the past year.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 14 July 2021 – Cloud Comrade, a leading Singapore-based cloud computing consultancy and managed services provider (MSP) with a growing presence in Malaysia and Indonesia, has been named the Amazon Web Services (AWS) 2021 Consulting Partner of the Year for Singapore.

The award recognizes AWS Partners who play a key role in helping their customers drive innovation and digital transformation of their businesses through creative and optimum use of their IT infrastructure with impactful solutions built on AWS.

Cloud Comrade has continued to reinforce its industry-agnostic capabilities in cloud migration and optimization while developing deep expertise across related IT services to enable customers to overcome their dynamic and complex challenges faster and more effectively. The company’s roster of clients spans a wide spectrum of industries, prominent among which are manufacturing, financial services, retail, logistics, public sector, education, and healthcare.

Commenting on the award, Andy Waroma, Cloud Comrade’s co-founder and co-managing director, said, “We are honored and grateful for the recognition by AWS once again. We are optimistic that our success in Singapore and the growth across key ASEAN markets during the universally challenging time last year will be a good springboard for impacting more clients.”

“It is immensely fulfilling to see the results of an enormously fruitful collaboration between our customers, AWS, and ourselves. We recognize the changing expectations of IT deployments from our customers in an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world. Our customers can be assured that, together with AWS, we are committed to helping them with solutions that aim not only to benefit their bottom line but also serve as strategic differentiators.”

“At AWS ASEAN, we consider our partners to be an extension of our team. Never has this shared obsession with serving our customers been more visible than over the last twelve months, where we have seen so many ASEAN partners go above and beyond on behalf of our customers,” said Conor McNamara, Managing Director, AWS ASEAN. “The AWS ASEAN Partner Awards is an opportunity for us to recognize the exceptional contributions of AWS Partners from across ASEAN. We are humbled by the collective commitment of our partner community and congratulate all award winners on this well-deserved recognition.”

Cloud Comrade is an AWS Premier Consulting Partner and a recipient of several accolades in its short history. Named as 2020 AWS Migration Partner of the Year – ASEAN, the company is also the first AWS Premier Consulting Partner in ASEAN to receive the AWS SAP Competency in 2019 and AWS Well-Architected Partner status in 2019. Cloud Comrade has also attained the AWS MSP Competency and AWS Migration Competency, and is now an AWS Managed Service Provider in ASEAN. Besides cloud migrations, Cloud Comrade is also recognized for its extensive experience in the area of complex SAP deployments on AWS.

About Cloud Comrade:

Cloud Comrade (https://cloudcomrade.com) is a Singapore-based cloud computing consultancy company with a regional footprint in Indonesia and Malaysia also. The company offers a comprehensive range of services from strategy and design to deployment, migration, and management of customers’ IT infrastructure. Cloud Comrade partners with the best solution providers in the field of cloud computing and is a preferred Amazon Web Services (AWS) consulting partner in ASEAN, as well as a managed service provider for AWS, Google, and Alibaba Cloud. In January 2019, ST Telemedia (sttelemedia.com), an active strategic investor specializing in communications & media, data centers, and infrastructure technology businesses, acquired a majority stake in the company. For more information on Cloud Comrade, visit cloudcomrade.com

#CloudComrade