TECHNOLOGY

IT literacy rate to reach 75% by 2015 - Minister Siyambalapitiya

by Lalin FERNANDOPULLE

Information Technology (IT) will make a salient contribution to make Sri Lanka the "Wonder of Asia" under the government's five-year development plan, said Minister of Telecommunication and Information Technology, Ranjith Siyambalapitiya.

Ranjith Siyambalapitiya

He said the IT literacy rate in the country will be raised to 75 percent by 2015 from the current 28 percent through the e-village and Nenasala programs.

The IT literacy rate has been raised to 28 percent from around four percent in 2005 following the launch of the e-village program by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

"The 2011 budget has recognised the importance of IT development in the country and has allocated sufficient funds to develop the industry", the Minister said.

Sri Lanka's telecommunication industry has been a trailblazer in the South Asian region, being the first to launch GSM (Global Standards for Mobile) telephony, CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) fixed wireless telephone services, ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line) Internet access, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), WiMax and 3G mobile broadband Internet services.

"Sri Lanka could be proud of having one of the most sophisticated telecommunication industries in the region which is on par with many developed countries", Siyambalapitiya said.

He said the e-village program has helped take IT to the rural sector and improve the lifestyle of people through economic benefits.

"The Ministry of Telecommunication has a huge challenge to develop the telecommunication sector in the country and meet the goals of the government envisaged in the future vision of the President", the Minister said.

IT penetration in the country has been low due to lack of expertise and high cost of connectivity in the rural sector. IT and mobile communication have developed extensively in the urban sector which has moved into broadband.

Sri Lanka lags in IT development and was ranked 72 at the last world survey. Awareness on the importance of IT for professional career development is vital to position the country in the world.

"More Nenasala programs will be held and facilities will be provided to promote IT education at school level to enable students to be IT savvy and meet vocational requirements", he said.

Many players have entered the telecom market which has grown leaps and bounds since the end of the conflict that brought rich dividends for all industries.

The country's telecommunication industry recorded a marked growth with the increase in the use of fixed line phones from 12 percent to around 85 percent. The land to mobile usage ratio which had been around 1:2 today is around 1:5.

The mobile communication sector has grown exponentially over the years with currently around 10 million users in the country.

"Islandwide programs will be held through Divisional Secretariats and provincial establishments to promote IT at school and village level next year", Siyambalapitiya said.

"Sri Lanka Telecom, ICTA and the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission being under one ministry will help us achieve the targets set out for the industry", the Minister said.

The Ministry of Telecommunication invites people to collaborate in its efforts to achieve the targets by accessing the website www.ictmin.gov.lk.

Lanka joins Information System Security Association

Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) welcomed the recently formed Sri Lanka chapter to its strong worldwide network, spanning 170 countries.

ISSA is a not-for-profit, international organisation of information security professionals and practitioners with 140 active chapters and reaching over 13,000 security professionals.

The ISSA community provides a forum for practitioners to enhance their knowledge, skills and leadership roles in information security.

Its members are recognised as experts on critical issues in every area of information security while the group is considered an asset to business organisations, global enterprises, Banking and Financial Services organisations and government entities.

The Colombo Chapter was mentored and founded by Thilak Pathirage of Seylan Bank, the incumbent President, with a team of security experts in the country.

The objectives of the association are to develop the profession of information security as well as establish security governance and standards in the country.

The local chapter will initially focus on the industry verticals of Banking and Finance, Telecom, Government and Education.

Applauding the Sri Lankan initiative, President ISSA Kevin L. Richards said: "It is with great excitement that I welcome the ISSA Sri Lanka - Colombo Chapter to the ISSA International chapter network. As ISSA Chapter founders, your hard work and dedication helps expand the preeminent global community of information security professionals by helping us serve a new community of ISSA members.

Our members contribute information security guidance and insights to leading corporations around the world, regional and national governments, and higher education, as well as collaborate on and develop the technologies and leading practices that shape the future of our profession. We look forward to having the ISSA Sri Lanka Chapter help us achieve our association's primary goal - to promote leading management practices that will ensure the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information resources."

The organisation has created a professional network that extends throughout the world for participation and communication among the ISSA's large membership, which helps maintain its position as the Global Voice of Information Security.

The ISSA chapter in Sri Lanka will aim to provide educational forums, publications and peer interaction opportunities that enhance knowledge, skill and professional growth. Members include practitioners at all levels of the security field in a broad range of industries such as communications, education, healthcare, manufacturing, financial and government.

President Pathirage said, "The fast growing economy of Sri Lanka will soon turn into a knowledge economy based on information, which is the vision of the President.

This creates greater opportunities for information security professionals with the emerging need of Security Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) requirements in both public and private sector organisations in the country.

The ISSA Sri Lanka chapter is ready to bring all security professionals into one umbrella and develop the profession to be on par with international standards."

The Board Members of the chapter includes Thilak J. Pathirage (Seylan Bank) - President; Dr. T.N. Kasun de Zoysa (UCSC) - Vice President; Rukshan Bharatha (SJMS Associates) - Secretary; Saman Thilakasiri (Singer Sri Lanka) - Treasurer; Dhammika Dasa (Aitken Spence) - Assistant Treasurer; Channa de Silva (Microsoft) - Communications Director; Ajith Wijayasundara (Commercial Bank) - Educational Director; Chamindra de Silva (Virtusa) - Membership Director; Tyrell Fernando (PricewaterhouseCoopers) - Vendor Relationships Director.

The association will work very closely with the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka, represented by Jayantha Fernando, and Sri Lanka CERT, represented by Lal Dias as board members. Additionally, Dr. R. B. Ekanayake, board Director of ICTA and a veteran in the ICT industry is in the advisory board of the Chapter.

Stressing the importance of the setting up of the local chapter Jayantha Fernando, Director, ICTA and the Vice Chairman of ICANN said "This fulfills a longstanding requirement of the ICT industry as security professionals were not working together as a community. On behalf of ICTA, I am glad to be associated with ISSA to strengthen the area of information security, which is a fundamental requirement for the ICT industry's success. I would like to extend my appreciation for the founders who were involved in setting up the local chapter while encourage everybody who wishes to be a security professional to join and contribute to this historical initiative."

The members will get the opportunity to join various focus groups and subcommittees as well as play a leadership role within the association.

Those who are interested in joining the local chapter are kindly advised to contact Chamindra de Silva or visit www.issa.org for more information.

Sri Lankan accountants woo global outsourcers

Southern China has its assembly plants. India has customer support centres, research laboratories and low-cost lawyers. And Sri Lanka's contribution to global outsourcing Accountants - thousands of them, standing ready to crunch the world's numbers.

As this tiny island-nation staggers back from a bloody, decades-long civil war, one of its brightest business prospects was born from a surprising side effect of that conflict. Many Sri Lankans, for various reasons, studied accounting in such numbers during the war that this nation of about 20 million people now has an estimated 10,000 certified accountants.

An additional 30,000 students are currently enrolled in accounting programs, according to the Sri Lankan Institute of Chartered Accountants.

While that ratio is lower than in developed economies like the United States, it is much greater than in Sri Lanka's neighbouring outsourcing giant, India.

Offices in Sri Lanka are doing financial work for some of the world's biggest companies, including the international bank HSBC and the insurer Aviva.

And it is not simply payroll and bookkeeping. The outsourced work includes derivatives pricing and risk management for money managers and hedge funds, stock research for investment banks and underwriting for insurance companies.

Many developing countries have "one particular competency that they do better than anyone else," said Duminda Ariyasinghe, an Executive Director at Sri Lanka's Board of Investment.

"Financial accounting is that door opener for us." With widespread use of English and a literacy rate of over 90 percent, along with rock-bottom wages, Sri Lanka hopes to transform its postwar economy from a sleepy tea and textiles island into a tiny, high-end outsourcing powerhouse.

Already there are thousands of other Sri Lankans working in more common outsourcing fields, like information technology and software development.

About 50,000 people in Sri Lanka are now employed in one form of outsourcing or another, according to Slasscom, an outsourcing trade group, and that figure is growing by 20 percent a year. But accounting is Sri Lanka's specialty.

During the war, Sri Lankan certified accountants would often use their skills as a springboard to get out of the country.

That is why there are now Sri Lankans sprinkled among executive suites around the world, including the vice president of global business services at American Express and a financial controller at Standard Chartered Bank in the United Arab Emirates.

Now, though, the government and business community hope the country's young financial whizzes will have reason to stay home instead.

Sri Lanka's government, headed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, expects revenue from so-called knowledge-based outsourcing - which includes accounting - to triple to $1 billion in revenue by 2015.

The stark wage differences between Sri Lanka and America, or even Sri Lanka and India, are a big part of the country's drawing card.

In the United States, the median annual wage for accountants and auditors in May 2008 was $59,430, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics. Sri Lankan workers in the accounting profession receive an average annual pay package of $5,900, according to a 2010 survey by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

Wages in Sri Lanka for financial outsourcing are about one-third less than in neighbouring India, and hiring educated employees is easier in Sri Lanka, according to executives who do business in both countries.

"Skilled talent is accessible," said Dushan Soza, Managing Director of the Sri Lanka office of WNS Global Services, an outsourcing company with about 350 people in the country.

Because Sri Lanka's accountants are still a relatively untapped asset on the global market, Soza said, hiring is easy and turnover is minimal.

In the Indian city Mumbai, companies like his would have to go far out of the city to hire because of the level of competition, he said, but here in Colombo "Two miles from my office is my hiring range."

Many international executives also admit that Colombo's colonial architecture, excellent seafood restaurants and proximity to miles of sandy beaches make it a more alluring business travel destination than India's outsourcing centers.

Sri Lanka's accounting specialty is rooted in the country's history of colonialism and conflict.

State-financed universities here have traditionally not had enough places for qualified students, and they were often closed intermittently during the war.

So students who could afford to attended private schools instead - in many cases accounting schools with British origins that date to Sri Lanka's independence from Britain in 1948.

Over time, becoming a qualified accountant has become something well-educated, business-minded people in Sri Lanka do in addition to getting a degree in, say, physics or business management.

Courtesy New York Times

Telecom and Info Tech Ministry website launched

Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya launched the web site of his Ministry recently.

The web site www.ictmin.gov.lk was launched at the premises of the Information and Communication Technology Association of Sri Lanka (ICTA) and provides the opportunity for participatory communication.

This is accentuated under the two sub-heads "Tell your Minister" and "Voice of Citizens".

Anyone is able by email to put forward to the Minister ideas, views, thoughts, proposals, concerns, requests, suggestions with regard to the Telecommunications and Information Technology field by using this web site. There is provision for this under the section "Tell the Minister".

A citizen can use the facility under "Voice of Citizens" to come out with any idea that he or she wishes to share with others or thoughts not directly addressed to the Minister but intended to be disseminated in general and aimed at promoting improvement in Telecommunications and Information Technology.

ICTA's Strategic Communications Senior Program Head Athula Pushpakumara said that it was significant that in 2003 President Mahinda Rajapaksa inaugurated his thrust into the field of ICT at the ICTA premises.

The seed of ICT for national development sowed continued to nurture and has resulted in a massive tree exuding its fragrance locally and internationally.

ICTA Chairman Professor P.W. Epasinghe said that the appointment of Minister Siyambalapitiya to head the new Ministry showed the trust the President has in the Minister.

Minister Siyambalapitiya said that the goal placed before the nation by the President, namely reaching 75 percent ICT literacy in 2016 was a big challenge but attainable due to the guidance of the President.

The Minister's Secretary Nimal Atukorale said that the very fact that the behind the scenes work done by all concerned whether they were abroad or in the country in putting up the new web site within a short period of six days was a reason for joy since it showed unity, brotherhood and dedication.

NSF grant to advance tactile devices for visually impaired

Zone24x7 and SRI International have received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to determine the technical feasibility of incorporating SRI's electroactive polymer artificial muscle (EPAM) technology into a low-cost, mobile device that improves access to text documents, graphs, maps, and the Internet by producing high definition tactile images for the visually impaired. EPAM, a smart material technology developed at SRI, has unique vibrotactile properties.

"SRI is excited to create products that can improve the quality of life for the visually impaired," said Senior Mechanical Engineer at SRI Harsha Prahlad Ph.D. "Such products would offer easier access to information and could significantly enhance educational and vocational opportunities."

The project will include the development of a prototype device that will be a simplified, scaled-down version of the Optacon an electromechanical device developed more than 40 years ago.

The Optacon enables people who are visually impaired to read printed materials that have not been transcribed into braille.

The device uses a camera and a tactile screen to create vibratory images of print on a page that can be felt by fingertip.

As the project's prime contractor, Zone24x7, with help from the SRI team, will study how EPAM can be incorporated into products for the visually impaired. Zone24x7 will consult Dr. James C. Bliss, a key member of the original Optacon development team, on product related issues.

"Incorporating SRI's EPAM technology could make owning tactile based products considerably more affordable," said CEO of Zone24x7 Llavan Fernando.

"For over 20 years, the actuator technology of tactile devices has been piezo ceramics, which is complex and expensive to implement. EPAM is considerably simpler to integrate and could be manufactured at significant lower cost. Besides products for the visually impaired, I foresee applications in other markets such as secure transaction terminals."

Zone24x7

Zone24x7 is a leading provider of global technology innovation services with world class partnerships. Since inception in 2003, Zone24x7 benchmarks the finest technological capabilities while delivering innovation with profound industry and business process expertise. Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Zone24x7 operates in the USA, Malaysia and Sri Lanka providing technology solutions to leading clients around the world. It is a Microsoft Certified Gold Partner and a Windows Embedded Partner and has been certified as a CMMI Level 3 for its process maturity, successful project execution and delivery excellence.

SRI International

Silicon Valley-based SRI International is a leading independent research and technology development organisation. Founded by Stanford University as Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in 1946 it became independent in 1970 and has been meeting strategic needs of clients and partners for more than 60 years. Perhaps best known for its invention of the computer mouse and interactive computing, SRI has also been responsible for major advances in networking and communications, robotics, drug discovery and development, advanced materials, atmospheric research, education research, economic development and national security.

The nonprofit institute performs sponsored research and development for government agencies, businesses, and foundations. SRI also licenses its technologies, forms strategic alliances, and creates spin-off companies. In 2009, SRI's consolidated revenues, including its wholly owned for-profit subsidiary, Sarnoff Corporation, were approximately $470 million. Sarnoff Corporation, a leader in vision, video, and semiconductor innovations, will be fully integrated into SRI effective January 1.

Re-New Station, CEA sign MoU

CEA Chairman Charitha Herth (left) and ABC Trade & Investments (Pvt) Ltd. Director CEO A. Jayaseelan signing the MoU at the launch at the BMICH.

Re-New Station, a division of ABC Trade & Investments (Pvt) Ltd. engaged in professional ink/toner cartridge recycling, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Central Environment Authority recently to ensure an e-waste free environment.

Re-New Station has commenced collecting used and empty computer printer ink cartridges and toner cartridges by placing bins at private and state sector institutions. These will be recycled with state-of-the-art technology.

ABC Trade & Investments (Pvt) Ltd. Director/CEO Jayaseelan said "When recycled quality will be on par with the original. Most of the institutions regularly discard their used computer ink cartridges and toner cartridges which is a waste of money and is hazardous. Our project focuses at reducing the e-waste incurred while protecting the environment and saving considerable money to the consumer."

Four gallons of fossil oil is needed to manufacture a single cartridge which takes over 300 years to biodegrade. Reuse of the same cartridge multiple times prevents wastage of natural resources and landfill and saves foreign exchange."CEA Chairman Charitha Herath said "E-waste is a rapidly expanding issue. With the steady growth of new technology and the extensive use of computer and electronic equipment, the quantity of electronic items for disposal shows a rapid increase globally. As a responsible regulatory agency for sustainable environment management, the CEA is pleased to collaborate with 14 private sector parties on launching this program on e-waste management.