MDeC, Microsoft team up to boost cloud computing ecosystem for SMEs

Source From (Business Times): http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BTIMES/articles/jrmicro/Article/index_html

Published: on 05 May 2012

KUALA LUMPUR: The Multimedia Development Corp (MDeC) and Microsoft Malaysia are joining MSC Malaysia's Cloud On-boarding Programme to accelerate the development and production of made-in-Malaysia software and services in cloud computing, in response to the growing impetus to increase the competitiveness of Malaysian small-and medium-sized businesses.

The partnership, in the form of the Azure Power Programme, will see an investment of RM1.1 million to boost the cloud computing ecosystem for SMEs.

Cloud computing is a general term for anything that involves delivering hosted services over the Internet.

"As Malaysian companies prepare to engage and compete on a global level, they are also flocking to the Cloud for its advantages to scale on demand and achieve greater productivity.

"Research done by Forrester Consulting has found that 64 per cent of Malaysian companies are either currently using or actively planning cloud initiatives.

"It is against this backdrop that MDeC welcomes Microsoft's Azure Power Programme as one of the key infrastructure partners into the MSC Malaysia's Cloud On-boarding Programme.

The core aim of the Cloud On-boarding Programme is to prepare the Malaysian cloud ecosystem by supporting the local software economy through enabling local independent software vendors (ISVs) with the skills, mindset and technology they need to provide world-class cloud-powered software and services," said MDeC chief executive officer Badlisham Ghazali in a statement.

With this partnership, the Azure Power Programme will be a key industry partner in the MSC Malaysia's Cloud On-boarding Programme.

It is designed to provide comprehensive end-to-end assistance for Malaysian ISVs to develop and produce Cloud-based software and services on Microsoft's open and flexible Windows Azure platform.