PIKOM to stage software and services showcase during WCIT 2008

PIKOM, the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia, has announced details of its showcasing plans during the World Congress on IT (WCIT) 2008 from 19 - 21 May at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Malaysia.

Organising Chair of PS3 and Councillor of PIKOM Stan Singh said that the co-exhibition called the PIKOM Software and Services Showcase 2008 or PS3 (pronounced as PS cubed) 2008 would promote the software and services industry in Malaysia.

“Software and services are expected to play a major role in contributing to the economy. The PS3 is a business technology event catered for businesses, large and small. It aims to increase the rate of ICT exposure among the business community. This is important as it bears a direct influence on trade competitiveness of the nation,” Singh said.

Singh cited the Digital Planet 2006 report, which concluded that Malaysia’s software and services spending in 2006 was US$1.762 billion, in 2007 was US$2.2 billion and is expected to reach US$2.74 billion this year.

The research analyst firm IDC in its report ‘Economic Impact of Software and IT Services on Malaysia’ reported that the software and services spending will grow by a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 13 per cent throughout 2005 to 2010, exceeding 43 per cent of the total IT spending ; an increase from 38 per cent in 2005. This will spur the shift from a trading-based economy towards a higher value knowledge-based economy, according to Singh.

The three-day event called “Where Business and IT Come to Life” is expected to be attended by more than 10,000 entrepreneurs and chief-level executives, Stan said. “In addition to having PIKOM as its organiser, PS3 2008 is also endorsed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), the World IT and Services Alliance (WITSA), Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO), Outsourcing Malaysia and the Asia Pacific Internet Association (APIA).

“All the five halls at the KL Convention Centre have been reserved for this joint event with the WCIT 2008 and 95 per cent of the space has been taken up,” Stan said.

Some of the participating companies in PS3 are: Avic Tech Corporation Sdn Bhd, CCI Solutions MSC Sdn Bhd, Century Software (M) Sdn Bhd, CIMB Commercial Bank, Datamation (M) Sdn Bhd, Dbora Consulting Sdn Bhd, DiBena Smart ID Sdn Bhd, e-Lock Corporation Sdn Bhd, Finsoft Systems Sdn Bhd, FSBM Net Media Sdn Bhd, GFI Software Ltd, Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP), iContent Sdn Bhd, Info Spec Sdn Bhd, Infominent Sdn Bhd, In-Fusion Solutions Sdn Bhd, Paradigm Systems Berhad, Plato System Consulting Sdn Bhd, Software Wizards (M) Sdn Bhd, Time Engineering Berhad dan Zyxel Corporation.