IBM opens cloud computing laboratory in Hong Kong

 

Hong Kong's financial secretary John Tsang rarely attends tech functions, but he was at the podium along with fellow government officials Duncan Pescod (permanent secretary for commerce and economic development) and Samson Tam, legislative councilor for IT. Joining the government dignitaries in welcoming speeches were Dominic Tong, General Manager for IBM Hong Kong/China and Matthew Wang, VP, IBM China development laboratory and Asia Pacific North cluster laboratories. And spotted in the large crowd of attendees: Government CIO Jeremy Godfrey, Deputy GCIO Stephen Mak and President of Internet Society Hong Kong Charles Mok.

 

 

"As part of the IBM China Development Laboratory (CDL), IBM’s largest with over 5,000 developers to date, the new laboratory will be able to draw upon the resources and expertise of CDL and IBM’s world-leading global research and development organization for its growth and development," said IBM in a statement.

 

"Key to IBM’s development efforts worldwide for public cloud collaboration services, the lab will support the dramatic growth of cloud collaboration by governments and companies," said Tong. "The global cloud computing market is expected to grow at a compounded annual rate of 28 percent from US$47 billion in 2008 to $126 billion by 2012, according to IBM based on various market estimates."

 

The laboratory builds on the email technology and expertise of Outblaze, a Hong Kong-based company who won Computerworld Hong Kong's Company of the Year Award for 2009, only the third firm to ever do so. Outblaze's messaging assets were acquired by IBM earlier this year and incorporated into the Lotus brand of collaboration software. "The laboratory now serves as a major development lab for LotusLive," said IBM, "a suite of cloud-based collaboration services with more than 18 million client seats in its first year."

 

"Hong Kong talent has unique international talent," said Wang from IBM China, who overseas 5000 employees in labs across greater China. "People here are vibrant and innovative."

 

"Developers here are more sensitive to global needs," said Stef Bensi, a former Outblaze employee who now serves as director of LotusLive messaging online collaboration services, IBM China Development Lab, Hong Kong. "Hong Kong is a melting pot of international perspectives."

 

Proving the point, a quartet of martial artists in a pair of stylized-lion costumes performed China's classical lion dance to open the gleaming center with stainless-steel IBM logo, after which a whole crisply roasted pig was wheeled out, with the first ceremonial cleaver-cut performed by the senior IBM employees and government dignitaries.

 

Computerworld Hong Kong