Apac News & Articles

Economies in the Asia Pacific region have been bolstered by outsourced services, including business process outsourcing, manufacturing and other services. In particular, contact center services have helped the region weather the global recession. The industry has shrunk in 2009, though, amid reduced spending for IT and other services worldwide. Rebounding from the economic downturn, the contact center industry is poised to grow at an annual rate of 11.5% through 2016.

In an ideal world, governance and social media go hand-in-hand. The Philippine government, starting with the newly-installed administration of President Benigno Aquino III, has embraced social media as a means of extending services to its constituents, particularly by feeding vital information on security, disasters and something as commonplace as traffic.

Just as most people were tidying up their desks for the Christmas break, OpenText (news, site) was announcing a new partnership with China-based HiSoft that will give OpenText a firm hold on the Chinese mainland and bring its web content management software into areas that to date it hasn't had access too.

Cloud hosting and cloud computing service provider Rackspace (news, site) has recently announced its newest acquisition and a move to enhance its cloud infrastructure worldwide starting 2011.

Electronic payment processors usually require several layers of security and authentication methods, and access to centralized servers. A shift to a cloud-based system can help improve transaction times and reduce the risk of exposing sensitive user data to theft or loss. With Akamai's (news, site) planned cloud-based e-payment service, token-based payments can reduce the security risk and improve performance of online payments, and will help reduce the cost of security compliance for businesses.

The Asia Pacific region is seen as a growth market for cloud computing services, particularly starting in 2011. With business booming and competition becoming more intense, organizations will look for ways to cut costs and improve efficiency. Given the market potentials, Oracle (news, site) is launching its cloud solutions center in Beijing, meant as a development platform for its regional partners.

Businesses in the Asia Pacific region are expected to increase spending in ICT services in 2011, fueled by a healthy economic outlook. However, as firms face heavy competition, many will be forced to rethink their ICT strategies and focus on efficiency and productivity. Chief among enterprise concerns in the region for the coming year will include analytics, mobility and cloud computing.

As business confidence in the Asia Pacific region continues improving through 2011, the market for enterprise communications and collaboration services sees great potential. Business organizations expect to grow into the double digits, and will require services that will help bolster this growth. However, firms are advised to have clear investment plans and avoid unnecessary spending and increased exposure to risks.

The Asia Pacific region is considered to be a ripe market for IT investments, particularly bolstered by the booming BPO industries in countries like China, India and the Philippines. Because of these trends, the market for cloud services and mobility is expected to expand dramatically in 2011.

Although many of us may still be feeling the effects of a recession, content management certainly isn't. As the market continues to grow worldwide, Asia Pacific is no exception. A recent survey by IDC (news, site) indicates a 12 percent growth in the content management market.

Running on a platform of good governance and corruption-busting, Benigno Aquino III won the Philippine presidency by popular vote in May, 2010. Having heavily utilized social media in his campaign, Aquino's administration is now actively using social networks as feedback mechanism. Official Twitter and Facebook accounts, as well as a blog, have been created to help share messages and encourage comments among the constituency. Recent events, however, suggest that Aquino's government may have pressured Facebook into removing a third-party "Benigno Aquino III" Page and moving its fans into the administration's official Page for better information control.

Today's websites have become the social marketplace where your customers and potential customers can meet, find the information they need, provide their own insights and feedback and more.

This means your traditional web content management system is probably falling short in its duty. What you're probably looking for is a digital publishing + engagement platform that offers a rich set of features, include managing digital assets, integrating with social networks, and pushing your content out across multiple channels. On top of all that, you need to do it quickly.

Cloud-based services come readily to mind when the pressure is on. In fact, according to a recent study by Springboard Research, 83% of companies in the Asia-Pacific region are considering cloud services in some form -- many as a way to deliver applications on-demand. However, in the same study, 46% indicated concerns over security and the integrity of their data in the cloud.

If you need to build a stronger web presence and are interested in doing it using cloud services, then attend the webinar Enough Fluff. 3 Key Ingredients for Maximising Your Content in the Cloud on Thursday, November 18th, 2010 at 10:00 am (UTC+10) Sydney, Australia.

During the live event you will discuss best practices related to cloud security and hear about deployment lessons from local experts, such as Melbourne IT and Hyro, as well as hear from experienced field hands who share their tricks and tips.

If you're ready to take your cloud strategy to the next level, then register here.

Social networking has been a goldmine for many of the businesses proffering their products or services via social mediums. In most western markets, businesses join social networks both to share information and engage with customers. However, research shows that Asian companies are not as keen on using social media tools, or at least have different interests when it comes to social networking.

Following on the heals of their announcement to support SharePoint 2010, Laserfiche (news, site) announced that it is opening up shop in Hong Kong.

Based in Long Beach, California, the company says that the new office aims to make it easier for  companies in the Asia Pacific region to access their Rio Enterprise CMS product, although it is a given that they will be pushing their Business Process Management (BPM) and Personal Document Management (PDM) software as well.

SilverStripe (news, site), the open source CMS that brought you the Democratic Convention website among others, has hopped the waters of the Pacific Ocean, in a sense doubling their real-world presence.