AI, TECH to define future of jobs in asean, says cisco exec

Manila, Philippines, February 14, 2019 — Royal Cargo, one of the leaders in cargo transportation and handling, today announced that it has gone live with Oracle Human Capital Management (HCM) Cloud, digitally transforming its employee management strategy. This will enable the Royal Cargo Human Resource (HR) team to streamline HR processes, having more time to focus on strategic rather than administrative tasks.

With Oracle’s employee self-service module, Royal Cargo employees can now update and access personalized information specific to their individual role, experience, work content, language and information needs. Without the pressure to manually enter new employee data or address commonly asked questions, the company’s HR team is now able to allocate time saved towards enhancing the employee experience. Oracle HCM Cloud will also provide real-time, anywhere access to a consolidated view of all HR transactions for its rapidly growing global team.

“Previously, all things related to HR, including payroll, were managed manually and therefore prone to human errors and incomplete entries. To refocus on the core purpose of HR – people and talent management, there was a need to upgrade our back-office operations, and we looked to Oracle HCM Cloud. Thanks to the successful implementation by Evosys, we now have a single viewpoint of all employee activity, crucial to consolidating employee management across our different offices,” said Loida Tasis, Vice President, Functional Services, Royal Cargo.  

“We knew digital transformation was the answer to managing the needs of our growing team, multiple offices and the ever-changing demands of a global economy. Partnering Oracle on our digital transformation journey was a no-brainer and we welcome the simplified access to all our HCM needs via the Oracle HCM Cloud,” said Philipp Schlohsnagel, Chief Transformation Officer, Royal Cargo.   

“Oracle is excited to be a part of Royal Cargo’s digital transformation. Technology is only a catalyst to workplace productivity and happiness, and it is heartening to see customers like Royal Cargo take a step in the right direction to digitize its people management portfolio for the best possible employee experience,” said Anna Tan, Head of Apps, Philippines.

Royal Cargo successfully implemented Oracle HCM Cloud in January 2019 with the help of Evosys.  

PIONEERING flat steel products manufacturer Philsteel recently announced the launch of four new websites; one for its holdings company and three for its manufacturing companies.

These new websites provides customers and partners in the construction industry access to more information about the companies, its products and services, and allow visitors to easily navigate from the Philsteel Holdings website to any of the subsidiary websites and vice versa. 

“Our new websites offer our business partners, dealers and customers an easier way to learn more about the companies, our products and services, while allowing them to browse information based on their own choice,” Philsteel Chairman and CEO Abeto A. Uy said.

Philsteel is the only Filipino steel company that has been recognized by international award-giving bodies for product excellence, including the International Asia Award for Quality (1988, Hong Kong and 1989, London) and the Quality Summit Award in New York , winning the Gold Award for Product Excellence in 2014.

The company started out in 1979 by establishing Philippine Steel Coating Corporation through a joint venture with then two of Australia’s leading industrial manufacturing names: John Lysaght Australia Ltd. (JLA) and Australia Mining and Smelting Company. This venture resulted in the first continuous galvanizing line in the country. 

Spurred by the vision of producing economical and durable building materials comparable to the world’s best, Philsteel established Philmetal Products, Inc. in 1989. Premier Shelter Products was created in the year 2000 to support the Group’s sales in areas outside Philmetal’s scope, notably in the provinces outside NCR and Metro Cebu. 

Both Philmetal and Premier Shelter are now engaged in roll-forming, slitting, shearing and fabrication of metal building products and systems such as roofing, cladding, floor decking, steel framing system and a host of steel sections and bended accessories that are integral parts of the building products.

When the Philippine government enacted the Iron and Steel Industry Act (Republic Act 7103), Philsteel took heed and in 1996 founded the Steel Corporation of the Philippines, addressing the government’s call for a private sector-led integration of the middle to downstream sector of the local steel industry, regarded as the linchpin of industrialization.

For the past four decades, the Philsteel Group has been in the frontline of the country’s struggle towards the development and modernization of the iron and steel industry, manufacturing and introducing breakthrough brands such as Galvalume 55, Colorbond and Galvabond Pure Zinc that have set new standards in the local construction industry. These global-class brands are proudly Filipino-made in Philsteel manufacturing sites located throughout the country.

“As we celebrate another milestone year in 2019, these websites will also reflect our continuing commitment to strengthening our mission for the Filipino people in raising the quality of roofing and building materials in the country to be at par with the world’s best,” Uy added.

The new sites can be browsed at the by clicking the following links: Philsteel Holdings Corporation, Philmetal Products, Inc.; Premier Shelter Products, Inc.; Steel Corporation of the Philippines-

ABS-CBN's iWant streams new, edgy original movies and series

ABS-CBN’s streaming service iWant is kicking off 2019 with 11.3 million Filipinos streaming its original shows and movies and its archive of Kapamilya programs, films, and live shows – the largest library of Filipino content on any streaming service in the country.

The new iWant recorded 60 million video views in December 2018 and has already gotten two million app downloads on both iOS and Android since it was launched in November last year.

More subscribers can also get their iWant craving in the comfort of their own homes as they can already connect the streaming service to their TVs via Chromecast and Apple Airplay.

This year, iWant will also be made available on TV streaming devices such as Roku, Android TV boxes, and SKY set-top boxes. New features will also be introduced to subscribers such as offline viewing and commenting on and chatting about their favorite content within the streaming service.

Meanwhile, mobile subscribers can also enjoy their favorite movies and shows on iWant whenever and wherever they are by subscribing to the telco providers’ respective promos.

Smart, TNT, and Sun subscribers can now stream iWant videos via Smart Gigasurf 99 with Video Every Day for only P99, which comes with 2 GB data for surfing and all apps and an additional 1 GB per day to watch up to one hour of videos every day, valid for seven days.

Globe mobile customers can enjoy video streaming of their favorite Kapamilya movies and TV shows on iWant for as low as P29 with GoWATCH. To register, just text GOWATCH29 to 8080 and get 2 GB or up to five hours of streaming for iWant and other video apps and sites valid for one day. 

This month, iWant releases more new original content, including the sexy romcom film “Allergy in Love,” which is written and directed by Joross Gamboa. It features the story of Johnson (Pocholo Barretto), who gets an extreme and potentially fatal allergic reaction whenever he is exposed to physical intimacy, but finds himself falling in love with Ayama (Chienna Filomeno), who aims to help him cure his odd medical condition.
 

iWant also goes edgy with its erotic-drama anthology series “Hush,” which features stories of different people going through their individual journeys to self-discovery, intimacy, and fulfillment of sexual fantasies.

Early this month, iWant released the action-suspense series “High,” about Miguel (James Paterson) who goes through an underground game in order to save his sister (Ria Atayde), who was kidnapped by a dark web syndicate.

iWant also brought back the team-up of Andrea Brillantes and Grae Fernandez in “S.P.A.R.K.,” which tackles the blossoming love between two young teens.

Sharlene San Pedro and Nash Aguas also star in “The Gift,” which chronicles the story of a young man with Asperger’s syndrome who falls for a sheltered woman. The movie has been receiving positive feedback online for its lead stars’ performances and relatable story, and for promoting awareness on the developmental disorder.

Helmed by some of the country’s best and up-and-coming directors such as Gino Santos, JP Habac, Richard Somes, Noel Teehankee (“Hush”), Joross Gamboa (“Allergy in Love”), Dondon Santos (“High”), Carlo Artillaga (“The Spark”), and Onat Diaz (“The Gift”), the original series and films showcase relatable characters and stories that cater to Filipino sensibilities via iWant, which provides access to the most comprehensive Filipino content and multimedia entertainment experiences.

iWant, which can also be accessed via web on iwant.ph, boasts a diverse library of free original movies and shows that have earned praises from Filipino users and continue to rack up views, including the much hyped film “Glorious,” teen-fantasy series “Spirits Reawaken,” the star-studded and feel-good anthology series “Alamat ng Ano,” gore-horror film “Ma,” lifestyle show “Laureen on a Budget,” and entertainment talk show “I Know Right?! (IKR).”

It also offers currently airing and old ABS-CBN shows, documentaries, and specials, 1,407 films and restored movie classics, fastcut versions of currently airing Kapamilya teleseryes, Asianovelas, thousands of songs, One Music’s live digital concerts, and the livestreaming of “Camp Star Hunt,” “iWant ASAP,” DZMM TeleRadyo, ABS-CBN Channel 2, and ABS-CBN S+A. Filipinos, meanwhile, watched Catriona Gray’s quest for the Philippine’s fourth Miss Universe title on iWant, which provided free livestreaming on the ABS-CBN Live channel that recorded hundreds of thousands of views.

For updates, like www.facebook.com/iWant, and follow @iwant on Twitter and @iwantofficial on Instagram, and subscribe to www.youtube.com/iWantPH.

WANT’S JANUARY ORIGINALS TRAILER: https://youtu.be/8NtAHwsFaAg

TRAILERS:

HIGH: https://youtu.be/da9O-QOwibs

THE GIFT: https://youtu.be/q918QTaJG_M

S.P.A.R.K.: https://youtu.be/PsVSBtDNU5U

PUBLICLY listed SFA Semicon Philippines Corporation, a global outsourced semiconductor assembly and test company, announced that Joon Sang Kang has been elected the new Chairman and President during the Board of Directors Meeting held last December 26, 2018. 

“I am pleased to accept the position as Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of SSP,” Kang said upon his election during the board meeting, “and commit to making the Company perform better for the benefit of all stockholders.” He added that his familiarity and long experience with the Company’s operations and production management since its construction and start-up in 2010 will enable him to push its semiconductor assembly business to stronger recovery.

Kang takes over the position effective January 1, 2019 from Byunggil Go who has been reassigned to SSP’s parent company SFA Semicon Corporation in Korea as Manufacturing Director.

An industrial engineering graduate, Kang has been with the Company as Production Team Head for six years since 2012 when SSP was then named Phoenix Semiconductor Philippines (PSPC). He was part of the original engineering team that designed and implemented the Phase 1 semiconductor assembly and packaging system under the Samsung Electronics (Korea) production agreement which was forged under then parent STS Electronics.

Kang was temporarily assigned in SFA Korea in 2016 but he later took over his previous post as Production Team Lead in February 2018. He was elected Director during the Company’s Board of Directors effective March 1, 2018. Previous to joining then PSPC, he served as production manager of Samsung Electronics (Korea) for 14 years.

During the board meeting, Seo, Minhoon, who is concurrently the Utility Team Head of SSP, was elected Director in place of Go. 

Kang was also elected by the Board to be the chairman of the Board Nominations Committee.

(SFA Semicon Philippines Corporation: Trading Symbol: SSP)

IRRI’s strengthened regional presence accelerates the development of higher-yielding, healthier, and stress tolerant rice varieties that appeal to local market preferences and secure a higher premium for farmers.

IRRI-South Asia Regional Centre (IRRI-SARC) in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India  held its first technology training on advanced technologies to evaluate specific nutritional properties of food grain and food products.

Researchers from Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Banaras Hindu University (BHU), IRRI India and IRRI Headquarters were trained on NutriScan Artificial Gut Advanced Technology, an instrument that simulates the human gut during digestion. This enables the in-vitro evaluation of nutritionally-important traits like Glycemic Index (GI) and Resistant Starch (RS).

Low GI rice and rice-based products prevent and manage Type II diabetes, a rising global health concern in India and South Asian countries. Resistant Starch (RS) in food is not fully broken down and absorbed during digestion in the small intestine and instead reaches the large intestine where intestinal bacteria turn it into short-chain fatty acids. Higher levels of RS have health benefits like better bowel health, and improved satiation, keeping us lean and healthy.

The two-day training program was held at IRRI SARC’s Centre of Excellence in Rice Value Addition (CERVA). This facility offers regional partners and stakeholders with cutting-edge research and development facilities in order to develop technologies and innovations that add value to rice and thereby enhance farmer incomes.

“I look forward to making use of the technology and facilities at IRRI-SARC to improve our work,” says Dr. Harith Bollinedi, training participant and IARI scientist. Another participant, from Banaras Hindu University PhD Scholar Bapsila Loitongbam said, “this technology was new to me; the training enhanced my knowledge on the analysis of glycemic index.”

At the conclusion of the training, IRRI-SARC CERVA Head, Dr.Regina Ahmed said, “It is exciting to see CERVA laboratories launch into action in response to the growing interest among rice researchers in the region to enhance the nutritional properties of rice by targeting low glycemic index trait. We would also like to develop rice and rice based products with high levels of RS that could deliver its health benefits to consumers. IRRI-SARC looks forward to providing more hands-on technical training programs to more regional research institutions.”

The training was facilitated by  Mr. Joel Sazakar, Application Specialist Engineer from Next Instruments, Australia and the IRRI team led by Dr. Regina Ahmed.

 Announced at the Dell Technologies World 2018, one of IT industry’s premier events, Dell Technologies had started investing in new programs, incentives and solutions designed to fast-track channel partners’ delivery of Digital, IT, Security and Workforce Transformations for their customers.

“Most of us are tasked to become more digital, more data-capable in IT,” said Jeff Clarke, vice chairman, Products and Operations, Dell. “We have to transform IT to deliver better outcomes and to do so more in real time, with less latency, and a Modern Data Center is required to compete. It’s an exciting time at Dell Technologies. We’re playing a key role helping our customers deliver better outcomes—not just in business, but for society and the world around us.”

A comprehensive set of product and solution innovations going went live from across Dell Technologies, designed to help customers achieve their IT, Security and Workforce transformations:

· Dell EMC ushers in the Modern Data Center with solution innovations including the NVME-enabled Dell EMC PowerMax enterprise-class All-Flash storage array, new replication features for Dell EMC XtremIO, and a sneak peek of new Dell EMC PowerEdge MX modular infrastructure. See separate release here.

· Dell EMC, as the No. 1 market leader in global hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI)[1], releases several advancements to Dell EMC VxRail and Dell EMC VxRack SDDC with a clear path to adopt VMware-based multi-clouds. See separate release here.

· Dell and Dell EMC uniquely deliver Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning capabilities from the desktop to the datacenter with new capabilities for Dell EMC PowerEdge servers, PowerMax storage and Dell Precision workstations. See separate release here.

· Dell updates its VDI Complete Solutions with features most demanded by customers and unveils its most versatile thin client ever. See separate release here.

· Virtustream adds software-as-a-service support for its risk management and compliance monitoring service, Viewtrust. See separate release here. 

· Virtustream demonstrates momentum within the healthcare market, and adds disaster-recovery options and the availability of the SAP Health solution on S/4 HANA®. See separate release here. 

· VMware unveiled its vision for the Virtual Cloud Network and the new VMware NSX networking and security portfolio to enable consistent, pervasive connectivity and security for apps and data wherever they are located. See separate release here. 

The Dell Technologies World 2018 was held in Las Vegas on May 1 and 2 where over 14,000 visitors gathered together to experience the emerging, game-changing technology trends from AI and Machine Learning to IoT while 35,000 from around the world participated through live streamed and on-demand virtual Dell Technologies World video experiences proving that more customers are embracing Dell Technologies. On the second day of Dell Technologies World, thousands of customers and partners continued to look at newer ways to realize these digital futures and drive toward better business outcomes with modern edge-to-core-to-cloud technology innovations.

[1] IDC WW Quarterly Converged Systems Tracker, Q4 2017, April 2018, Vendor Revenue

Photo shows Bruce Davie, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, VMWare speaks to the media at the CIO Forum.

WITH enterprises and governments in Southeast Asia prioritizing digital transformation (DX) as a cornerstone in business growth and smart nation blueprints, DX was a key focus area at the VMware CIO Forum in Singapore. The event was attended by more than 120 c-suite executives from Southeast Asia and Korea. 

In partnership with the International Data Corporation (IDC), C-level executives had the opportunity to focus on the next progression of the DX journey to better understand, the scope and impact of DX and facilitate an in-depth analysis of DX investment relative to strategic enterprise priorities.

“At VMWare we are not Cloud providers, but rather Cloud enablers,” Callum Eade, Senior Director for SDCC (Software Defined Data Center), VMWare said. In saying so Eade also emphasized the importance of converting a company’s business vision into a technology vision in order to create a mindset and culture focused on DX.

VMware, Inc. showcased a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to accelerate performance and drive results from digital investment during the next stage of growth.

“These are not only a suite of products or solutions that we offer. We come to the customer listening to what they need, and oftentimes we find out problems they did not see or offer solutions that they did not even think of,” Eade narrates as he shared the story of Chitale Dairy Farm in India.

The 1,000-cow dairy farm generated thousands of liters of milk a day and its owner, a farmer named Vishwas Chitale grew his farm from humble beginnings but rather than make massive profit from the productive operations, decided to “give back to the community what they gain,” by contributing financially to the wellbeing of the community by supporting local schools and infrastructure.

“Chitale’s farm used VMWare to enable more productive cows and a more productive system that made a more productive town,” Eade said.

2017 is the year of digital impasse in APEJ. Also the event, IDC announced findings from their latest Digital Transformation study in the region, titled “IDC MaturityScape Benchmark: Digital Transformation in APEJ, 2018”. Conducted in 2017, the study found that organizations in Asia-Pacific (excluding Japan) (APEJ) have progressed from resisting digital transformation to exploring digital transformation initiatives. However, only 1.2 percent of organizations in the region meet the gold standard of being “digital disruptors.”

 “The Asia-Pacific region differs in technological maturity, but one thing is common – the recognition of digital transformation as a business catalyst. In order to enable digital transformation progress in the region, it is essential for organizations to integrate their existing products and services – without silos,” Duncan Hewett, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific and Japan, Vmware said.

The study found that majority of the organizations (86.5 percent) surveyed were still in the first three phases of maturity and indicated that they are not yet able to integrate their digital products and services across the business to provide a consistent experience for the user.

“IT environments in APJ are now a mixture of legacy infrastructure and public and private clouds, and that’s what we hear from some of our largest customers. VMware is committed to working with our customers to outline the strategic measures they need to address, enabling them for success and creating new possibilities for their businesses,” Hewett added.

Taking back control of a multi-cloud environment. As companies expand their use of cloud computing in a multi-cloud environment, they naturally experience increased complexity and risk associated with diverse infrastructures, management tools, and processes. VMware estimates that nearly two-thirds of the industry will utilize two or more cloud service providers in addition to their on-premises data centers.

VMware Cloud Services helps to manage the complexity and risk of multiple cloud environments and enable a unified experience from cloud to core to edge. By extending consistent operations from the data center to the cloud, VMware offers end-to-end visibility of cloud usage, infrastructure cost, network performance, detailed application monitoring and analytics, and enhanced security across the public cloud and on-premises environments. 

VMware also recently unveiled a new set of products and services, including VMware Hybrid Cloud Extension Service for Private Cloud, a SaaS offering that provides application mobility and infrastructure hybridity across different vSphere versions, on-premises and in the cloud. The expanded VMware Cloud Provider Program and new VMware Cloud Services enable organizations to manage, secure, monitor and automate cloud infrastructure and applications by providing a unified approach for end-to-end visibility into cloud usage, costs, and network traffic. – by Raymond G.B. Tribdino.

Originally published in Malaya Business Insight.

http://malaya.com.ph/business-news/special-features/vmware-cio-forum-2018-enablement-not-just-technology-will-define-dx

Photo shows Smart representatives led by Chief Financial Officer Chaye Cabal-Revilla (center), SVP for consumer business market development Oscar Reyes Jr., and public affairs FVP Mon Isberto–receive the Anvil awards last March 23 at Shangri-La Fort.

SMART Communications maintained its winning streak at the Anvil Awards, receiving top honors for the third straight year at the Oscars of public relations in the Philippines.

In a ceremony held recently in Taguig, Smart won the Grand Prix Award for having the highest number of Gold Anvils this year. The company also got the Grand Anvil recognition for SHINE OS+ (Secured Health Information Network and Exchange), an electronic medical record system that enables health facilities to provide faster and better service to their patients. The Grand Anvil is given to the most outstanding public relations program of the year.

The Anvil Awards has been conducted annually for 53 years by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines.

Smart received Gold Anvils for the following corporate social responsibility, employee engagement, and customer service programs:

SHINE OS+, an open system that allows developers to create plugins addressing the various needs of health workers. Among the plugins created are a system that automates the sending of reminder SMS to diabetes patients, and a plugin that enables nurses in Nepal to collect health surveillance and preparedness data during and after disasters.

Learning as One Nation, an effort to help improve the Department of Education’s Arabic Language and Islamic Values Education (ALIVE) program in General Santos and Sarangani. Smart is helping develop an app that teaches Arabic language and values, while promoting independent learning among ALIVE students through the Dynamic Learning Program created by Ramon Magsaysay Awardees Dr. Christopher Bernido and Dr. Ma. Victoria Carpio-Bernido.

School-in-a-Bag, a learning package donated to public schools in remote areas without electricity. The donation includes a solar panel, mobile devices, digital educational content, teacher training, and monitoring.

TNT Tropang Ready Caravan, which inculcates disaster preparedness among college students and encourages them to promote preparedness in their respective communities

Smart Saturdays, a program where employees pay a participation fee to watch blockbuster movies with their families and colleagues. The participation fees are then used to donate School-in-a-Bag units to underserved schools.

Smart Chatbot, a tool on Facebook Messenger that enables Smart customers to view their billing statements and remaining balance, subscribe to promos, purchase eLoad, and request to chat with an agent

Meanwhile, Smart’s Silver Anvil awardees are Smart Bro’s Bond Like Never Before campaign which encourages parents to use mobile technology to bond with their children, Doon Po Sa Amin Storytelling Caravan which promotes local storytelling for Filipino children, the Paskong Pinoy yearend celebration for employees, the PLDT Group’s efforts to transform its corporate culture to support its digital pivot, the Smart Communities Facebook page which provides information about Smart’s CSR programs, and Smart Millenniors which engages the youth to guide their elders on the use of mobile devices and the internet.

The Silver Anvil list also includes Smart Paywall, a web tool that helps Smart Bro customers avoid unwanted mobile internet charges; Smart TechnoCart, a donation package similar to the School-in-a-Bag that targets more urban communities and contains more devices; the SWEEP (Smart Wireless Engineering Education Program) Awards which encourages students to create innovations solving real problems; the TNT App and TNT Online Store which make it easier for TNT customers to complete transactions; and TNT Tropa Trip, a nationwide summer road show promoting the Choose Your Tropa Apps promo. 

 Summary

· Dell EMC ushers in the Modern Data Center Dell EMC with new NVMe-based storage, CI and modular infrastructure innovations

· Advancements to the Dell EMC hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) portfolio include clear path to adopt VMware-based multi-clouds

· Dell and Dell EMC uniquely provide Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning capabilities from the desktop to the data center 

· Dell enables the Future of Work with new thin client solutions 

· Virtustream enhances risk management and compliance for enterprises and the public sector with new SaaS solution

· Virtustream bolsters cloud offering for healthcare market 

· VMware unveils the Virtual Cloud Network with new VMware NSX networking and security portfolio

Full story

Announced at the Dell Technologies World 2018, one of IT industry’s premier events, Dell Technologies had started investing in new programs, incentives and solutions designed to fast-track channel partners’ delivery of Digital, IT, Security and Workforce Transformations for their customers.

“Most of us are tasked to become more digital, more data-capable in IT,” said Jeff Clarke, vice chairman, Products and Operations, Dell. “We have to transform IT to deliver better outcomes and to do so more in real time, with less latency, and a Modern Data Center is required to compete. It’s an exciting time at Dell Technologies. We’re playing a key role helping our customers deliver better outcomes—not just in business, but for society and the world around us.”

A comprehensive set of product and solution innovations going went live from across Dell Technologies, designed to help customers achieve their IT, Security and Workforce transformations:

· Dell EMC ushers in the Modern Data Center with solution innovations including the NVME-enabled Dell EMC PowerMax enterprise-class All-Flash storage array, new replication features for Dell EMC XtremIO, and a sneak peek of new Dell EMC PowerEdge MX modular infrastructure. See separate release here.

· Dell EMC, as the No. 1 market leader in global hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI)[1], releases several advancements to Dell EMC VxRail and Dell EMC VxRack SDDC with a clear path to adopt VMware-based multi-clouds. See separate release here.

· Dell and Dell EMC uniquely deliver Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning capabilities from the desktop to the datacenter with new capabilities for Dell EMC PowerEdge servers, PowerMax storage and Dell Precision workstations. See separate release here.

· Dell updates its VDI Complete Solutions with features most demanded by customers and unveils its most versatile thin client ever. See separate release here.

· Virtustream adds software-as-a-service support for its risk management and compliance monitoring service, Viewtrust. See separate release here. 

· Virtustream demonstrates momentum within the healthcare market, and adds disaster-recovery options and the availability of the SAP Health solution on S/4 HANA®. See separate release here. 

· VMware unveiled its vision for the Virtual Cloud Network and the new VMware NSX networking and security portfolio to enable consistent, pervasive connectivity and security for apps and data wherever they are located. See separate release here. 

The Dell Technologies World 2018 was held in Las Vegas on May 1 and 2 where over 14,000 visitors gathered together to experience the emerging, game-changing technology trends from AI and Machine Learning to IoT while 35,000 from around the world participated through live streamed and on-demand virtual Dell Technologies World video experiences proving that more customers are embracing Dell Technologies. On the second day of Dell Technologies World, thousands of customers and partners continued to look at newer ways to realize these digital futures and drive toward better business outcomes with modern edge-to-core-to-cloud technology innovations.

[1] IDC WW Quarterly Converged Systems Tracker, Q4 2017, April 2018, Vendor Revenue

MICROSOFT has appointed Andrés Ortola as the Country General Manager for the Philippines where he will work closely with partners to help businesses realise their vision of digital transformation.

Prior to this appointment, Andrés led the enterprise commercial business for Singapore, where his leadership and focus on transforming the business delivered unprecedented value for Microsoft customers and partners.

Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Andrés has 20 years of experience in the IT industry and has held various regional leadership positions in consulting, sales management, marketing and business management. His previous experiences include regional roles at Microsoft, Quest Software, IBM and as a co-founder for entrepreneurial projects.

“I believe Philippines is on the cusp of greatness. As we all know, the economy is among the fastest growing in Asia Pacific and our customers are hungry for transformation. I’m looking forward to working with our team to deliver a strong and consistent agenda that contributes to the digitalization of the Philippines economy, transforms our key industries and has a strong positive societal impact,” Andrés shared. 

Andrés will report to Andrea Della Mattea, President, Microsoft Asia Pacific. “I’m thrilled to have Andrés lead one of our most dynamic, exciting and vibrant markets in Asia Pacific. His expertise and experience in creating growth opportunities and leading teams will be integral to support our  

The new Microsoft Philippines GM has extensive global experience and has called South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa and most recently Asia as home. He is a sports fan and particularly enjoys watching, coaching and playing rugby. His free time is spent exploring the world with his family