Monthly Archives: March 2022

PR Newswire

Securonix Announces APJ Business Momentum led by Cloud-Native SIEM Adoption and Partner Program Expansion

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Company also appoints three senior hires to spearhead regional growth

SINGAPORE, March 9, 2022 — Securonix, Inc., a leader in Next-Gen SIEM, today announced business momentum for the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region, and three strategic hires to bolster its regional leadership team and accelerate market growth. 

Neil Campbell has been appointed to the role of vice president for APJ, alongside Ajay Kumar as director for APJ and Middle East (ME), and Vinny Sharma as director of marketing for APJ and ME.

Securonix’s regional traction has been driven by record demand for cloud-native security monitoring and analytics, the company’s flexible cloud deployment models, and rapid partner program expansion.

"Leading enterprises and managed service providers in APJ have shown a strong appetite for solutions that enable more effective detection and response to advanced threats in cloud environments, and flexible deployment options that align with their cloud strategies, data retention requirements, and overall business needs," said Andy Vallila, Chief Revenue Officer, Securonix. "Neil, Vinny, and Ajay will play key roles in accelerating the impressive growth we are experiencing in-region and innovative product portfolio go-to-market efforts."

"I am thrilled to join Securonix to help fuel its expansion in the world’s fastest-growing region as Asian enterprises step up their cybersecurity posture to safeguard increasing digital transformation efforts," said Neil Campbell, VP for APJ, Securonix. "Organizations across APAC are reportedly 80 percent more likely to fall prey to a cyber attack due to the region’s digital use and connectivity. I am looking forward to working closely with our regional customers and partners to protect their digital assets and hybrid enterprises against the rising tide of ransomware and other malicious activities."

Over the past 12 months, a record number of APJ customers and managed service providers offering SIEM-as-a-Service (SaaS) have adopted Securonix as a modern security analytics platform to replace their legacy SIEM solutions.

Securonix’s pure SaaS architecture providing complete visibility into complex cloud and hybrid environments, and new ‘Bring your own AWS‘ and ‘Securonix with Snowflake‘ programs have driven regional market traction highlighted by:

Securonix has recently secured investment of more than US$1 billion led by Vista Equity Partners to further its global leadership position in cloud-native security analytics and operations.

Securonix’s expansion plan for the APJ region over the next six to 12 months include setting up an office in Japan and establishing footprint across the Southeast Asia (SEA) region, through the appointment of MSSPs and partner enablement. The company currently has operations in Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), and Singapore. It aims to double its headcount and achieve double-digit growth across the APJ region by 2024.

Bringing over more than 25 years of leadership and management experience in cybersecurity across global and regional roles, Campbell is responsible for charting Securonix’s overall growth strategy across the APJ region. He was most recently vice president for Asia Pacific (APAC) at Rapid 7 where he spearheaded and built out the company’s sales operations across key markets in the region. Other global and senior leadership roles Campbell had assumed over the course of his career include those held at Telstra and Dimension Data.

Kumar joins Securonix with over a decade of technical sales leadership experience, most recently holding the position of director of solutions engineering for APJ at BeyondTrust. At Securonix, Kumar will lead pre-sales and proof of concepts for the APJ market.

Sharma brings more than 16 years of regional marketing experience in the networking and cybersecurity space to Securonix, most recently holding the position of head of marketing for India at Infoblox. Sharma will lead marketing efforts for APJ and ME at Securonix.

Securonix is actively recruiting in APJ and will continue to add new jobs across all business functions over the next 12 months to leverage the region’s wealth of technical talent. To view Securonix career opportunities, please visit: https://careers.securonix.com/.  

About Securonix

Securonix is redefining SIEM for today’s hybrid cloud, data-driven enterprise. Built on big data architecture, Securonix delivers SIEM, UEBA, XDR, SOAR, Security Data Lake, NTA and vertical-specific applications as a pure SaaS solution with unlimited scalability and no infrastructure cost. Securonix reduces noise and prioritizes high fidelity alerts with behavioral analytics technology that pioneered the UEBA category. To learn more, visit www.securonix.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

 

 

 

iOS, Mobile, News

The New Apple iPad Air, Now with M1 Chip at MYR 2,699, Why Do You Want Anything Else?

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When the Apple iPad Air first launched, we thought: “hmmm, this is a very interesting device”. We must admit too, we wanted one. It is the first Apple iPad that features a modern and generally accepted USB Type-C connectivity. It also brought the Apple iPad ecosystem, save for the iPad Pro, to the modern world with the most powerful Apple System on a Chip (SoC) at its time. The new A14 bionic matched the Apple iPad experience to the most modern Apple iPhone you can find at the time.

The M1 on Air

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Source: Apple

Still, at its price, it became one of the most desirable Apple tablets you can find. It would be also our recommendation of you had money to spare for a tablet. To be fair, Apple’s tablet game has been unrivaled for quite some time now, why would the Apple iPad Air be any different with what it could offer, before the iPad Pro leapfrogged it with the M1 chip.

Now though, the Apple iPad Air for 2022 has become the most desirable Apple iPad again. It now packs the power of the M1 SoC, the same one you can find on a MacBook Pro and iPad Pro. That is not all they did to improve the Apple iPad.

Built for Video Calls

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Source: Apple

You now get Centre Stage 12-Megapixel FaceTime HD camera. The previous iPad Air did not get this feature because the front camera is not wide enough for the feature. Out the back is a the regular 12-Megapixel camera that you get from before. Thanks to the new chipset, the Apple iPad Air also gets 5G connectivity out-of-the-box for a quick workflow anywhere, and anytime. Of course, you still could opt for a Wi-Fi only version. That is about it for the improvements on the Apple iPad Air though.

More of the Same Things

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The display is still a 10.9-inch, like before. The 2,360 by 1,640 Liquid Retina display with wide colour gamut (DCI P3) is unchanged. There is no home button out front too, like the older device. The Touch ID enabled power button still sits in the same place and the same as before. The iPad OS 15 though, is an expected update.

Price and Availability

The Apple iPad Air for 2022 will be available in the United States starting from the 18th of March 2022 onward. There is no confirmed local (Malaysia) availability for it at this time, but we are guessing that it will be available later in March, or somewhere in April 2022. It will be available in Space Grey, Pink, Purple, Blue, and Starlight colour options. It is also available in only 64GB and 256GB configurations. Of course, you can choose between a Wi-Fi only or a 5G capable options. Prices start from MYR 2,699 and MYR 3,349 respectively. More information on the Apple iPad Air can be found on their website.

iOS, Mobile, News

Apple Launches Two Green Things and The Apple iPhone SE with 5G

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Apple’s event just happened, and there is a lot to talk about at the event. The event is also almost everything we expected it to be. Everything, except the new colours of the iPhone 13 series. You can now have them in Green. Samsung’s new S22 series in their green colour might have something to do with that. Then there is the Apple iPhone SE, now more powerful than ever.

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Source: Apple
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If you scroll through its micro site on Apple.com, the Apple iPhone SE opens with its price tag at MYR 2,099 (US$ 429) onward. Yes, it is the most affordable iPhone still, and it looks like the classic iPhone of old (iPhone 8), before they move into the new generation edge-to-edge display that you first see in the iPhone X.

The new iPhone SE is now powered by an A15 Bionic chip, the same one that powers the Apple iPhone 13 series. Hold on, that’s not right. This brings the iPhone SE ahead a few generations from the old one, at a price point much lower than the iPhone 13 flagships. It also brings 5G capability to the most affordable iPhone in their current range. We are not complaining.

More Of The Classic

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Source: Apple

Of course, as Apple’s most affordable device, there are going to be a few compromises and differences over the iPhone 13. The most obvious difference being the display. It features a 4.7-inch IPS display that you probably recognise from the iPhone 8. You get a display just slightly over 720p at 1,334 by 750 pixels. Because the display is not that big, the ppi count is still at 326. It also features a wide P3 colour gamut, which is good. It is nothing like the Apple iPhone 13’s XDR display, but you are also paying a lot less.

Turn the IP67 chassis around and there is more tribute to the classic iPhone design of old. You are met with a 12-Megapixel camera. That is it, a traditional single camera jutting out of the top left corner of the device supported by a single LED flash. The good thing here is that you get the full processing power of A15 Bionic for your photos, and a simplified interface without the fuss of choosing your lenses. It is also capable of 4K video recording thanks to the System on a Chip (SoC). Out front is a rather regular 7-Megapixel camera, nothing much to shout about there.

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Yes, the home button is back. The iconic home button is also their traditional Touch ID sensor for biometric security. Unfortunately, that also means that there is no Apple Face ID here.

Bigger Battery Life

 The biggest improvement on the Apple iPhone SE that makes them a popular choice is probably their battery life. The Apple iPhone SE of old offers a battery life that is even longer than the flagship devices. Given, the hardware from the iPhone SE requires less power than the flagship iPhones. You can charge the iPhone SE at 20W or even via a wireless charging pad. They claim that the iPhone SE can last up to 2 hours longer than the iPhone 8 in video playback. That is as specific as they get with the battery life though.

Price and Availability

The new Apple iPhone SE will be available for pre-order in Malaysia on 18th March 2022 onward in Malaysia and will ship 25th March 2022 onward. It is available in three colour choices – the traditional Midnight black, Starlight white, and (Product) RED. There are also three configurations available to you at 64GB, 128GB, and 256GB. Prices start at MYR 2,099 and tops out at MYR 2,799. More information on the Apple iPhone 13 can be found on their website.

PR Newswire

China.org.cn: Survey Reveals Overseas Opinion of Beijing Winter Olympics

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BEIJING, March 8, 2022 — The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics came to a successful conclusion on the evening of February 20, when the Olympic flame was extinguished during a closing song. Over the course of the games, China.org.cn commissioned a specialist agency to conduct an overseas public opinion survey related to the Beijing Winter Olympics. This poll was conducted among individuals aged 20-69 in the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, South Korea. According to the data, 73.2% of overseas respondents followed the Winter Olympics to varying degrees; respondents largely viewed the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics as being professional, exciting and friendly. It was also found that young people are among the most willing to come to China and learn more about the country.

01.

Over 70% of overseas respondents followed the Beijing Winter Olympics

Those in their 20s and 30s watched most closely

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics garnered worldwide attention, especially from among young people overseas. According to the data, 73.2% of respondents said they had followed the Beijing Winter Olympics to varying degrees. The younger the respondents, the higher the proportion of people who were "very interested" in the Beijing Winter Olympics, with 75% of respondents in their 20s and 30s following the Winter Olympics.

Over 70% of overseas respondents followed the Beijing Winter Olympics
Over 70% of overseas respondents followed the Beijing Winter Olympics

Among those following the Beijing Winter Olympics, 81.4% followed the event on TV, far ahead of other mediums for following the games. The global viewership of the Beijing Winter Olympics reached an all-time high, setting new records in terms of broadcast duration, technology and content production, according to a press conference held for the Beijing Winter Olympics. Based on the data, respondents paid the most attention to "live competitions" as well as "medal tallies and competition results", 53.9% and 50.9%, respectively. Star athletes, the opening and closing ceremonies in addition to life at the Olympic Village were popular aspects of the games.

02.

High praise from overseas: Professional, exciting and friendly were the top key terms

Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said in his speech at the Closing Ceremony for the Beijing Winter Olympics that "these were truly exceptional games." In the survey, overseas respondents also said they were deeply impressed with the Beijing Winter Olympics, with the top words associated with the event being professional, exciting and friendly.

High praise from overseas: Professional, exciting and friendly were the top key terms
High praise from overseas: Professional, exciting and friendly were the top key terms

According to the data, respondents believe that China’s successful hosting of the Olympic Winter Games in the face of COVID-19 has had a positive impact mainly in the areas of "carrying forward the Olympic spirit and promoting unity and solidarity among countries" (32.1%) and "promoting sports and cultural exchanges among countries around the world" (31.7%).

03.

Over 70% of the respondents agreed with the slogan, "Together for a Shared Future"

"We all yearn for love. So let’s go hand in hand. Together for a shared future, you and I, we can touch the sky." As the promotional song for the Beijing Winter Olympics slogan, "Together for a Shared Future" was widely sung during the event. Statistics show that "Together for a Shared Future", the slogan for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympic Games, was widely accepted by the international community, with 71.6% of overseas respondents agreeing with the slogan.

Over 70% of the respondents agreed with the slogan, "Together for a Shared Future"
Over 70% of the respondents agreed with the slogan, "Together for a Shared Future"

"Together for a Shared Future" is China’s sincere invitation to the world, conveying the positive expectations of 1.4 billion Chinese people. Sun Weijia, Director-General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange of Counselors’ Office of the State Council (COSC), said in an interview with China.org.cn that the slogan reflects the harmony between Olympic values and the vision for a community with a shared future for mankind. The song is a substantial development on Olympic values by this shared community. It also stands as the best interpretation of the vision for the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Yan Jiarong, Spokeswoman of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, previously said that the slogan "Together for a Shared Future" is the Chinese interpretation of the Olympic motto "Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together". "Together for a Shared Future" is about enabling every sports lover to realize their dreams.

04.

With impressive scientific and technological innovation, the "green Olympics" became a highlight

The high-tech elements of the Beijing Winter Olympics can be seen everywhere. The science and technology along with the green and sustainable concept of environmental protection that made this Olympics possible have received extensive attention and recognition from the international community. The "High-tech Olympics" highlighted the new image of a smart China, with 35.7% of respondents believing that China is a country distinguished by rapid technological development.

Data shows that 54% and 30% of respondents reported positive changes in their impression of China’s scientific and technological innovation and ecological protection efforts. 21% of respondents said the Beijing Winter Olympics eased their concerns that China would struggle to meet its environmental commitments, such as carbon emission reduction.

Among those watching the tech highlights of the Beijing Winter Olympics, 56.3% expressed interest in China’s green power supply and 45.3% in service robots. In addition to these two items, autonomous vehicles, VR guide system, 5G+8K ultra-HD cloud broadcast, natural CO2 refrigeration systems with nearly zero carbon emissions, and hydrogen-powered vehicles accounted for over 30% of respondents.

With impressive scientific and technological innovation, the "green Olympics" became a highlight
With impressive scientific and technological innovation, the "green Olympics" became a highlight

05.

Young people are the most willing demographic to come to China and learn more about the country

Respondents from Russia, Italy and the UK have the most favorable opinion of China

Russia (88%), Italy (78%) and the United Kingdom (67%) were the top three countries for respondents with favorable views of China during the Beijing Winter Olympics, followed by the United States and Canada (over 50%). Young people were more likely to have a favorable view of China, with 56% of respondents in their 20s and 61% of those in their 30s.

Respondents from Russia, Italy and the UK have the most favorable opinion of China
Respondents from Russia, Italy and the UK have the most favorable opinion of China

In addition, the results of the survey show that Russia, Italy and the UK account for 72%, 71% and 49% of respondents who want to come to China and learn more about it after watching the Beijing Winter Olympics. The younger the respondent, the greater willingness they expressed to visit China and learn more about China, with 53% of respondents aged 20-29 willing to visit China in person. From high-tech facilities, safe epidemic prevention measures, diverse cultural experiences, rich food experiences and friendly volunteer services, the Beijing Winter Olympics visually projected an image of China as a whole. Several international respondents expressed their willingness to learn more about China.

06.

Beijing Winter Olympics has boosted China’s image

The bias against human rights and democracy in China has been reduced to some extent

The Beijing Winter Olympics has been the first global sporting event held as scheduled since the outbreak of COVID-19. Holding such a grand event on schedule is a landmark achievement and plays a positive role in enhancing China’s international image. Among respondents from 10 countries watching the Beijing Winter Olympics, 20% clearly expressed that their impression of China had changed positively.

By watching the Beijing Winter Olympics, respondents were found to have the highest percentage of positive changes in their impression of China’s scientific and technological innovation as well as its cultural industry, at 54% and 52%, respectively. In addition, over 40% of respondents reported a positive change in their opinion of China in the areas of economic and financial development, strength of winter sports, achievement of fighting against COVID-19 and epidemic prevention, transportation and travel, etc.

Beijing Winter Olympics has boosted China's image
Beijing Winter Olympics has boosted China’s image

Additionally, the Winter Olympics helped dispel misconceptions about China. Shi Anbin, a professor from the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University, argued that the Beijing Winter Olympics broke the "mudslinging" common to certain Western media outlets by taking advantage of participatory and immersive means of "third party communication". This included individuals, such as Eileen Gu, Su Yiming and Yuzuru Hanyu, the adorable Beijing Winter Olympics mascot Bing Dwen Dwen, the "robot bartender" as well as videos showing players enjoying meals and interactions with grassroots volunteers.

In this survey, when asked, "From your point of view, which misunderstanding about China could be eliminated through Beijing Winter Olympics?", the highest percentage of respondents answered, "worries about the human rights situation in China" and "the lack of democracy in China". In addition, overseas respondents’ misconceptions of "China struggling to meet its environmental commitment to reduce carbon emissions" and the "China threat theory" have decreased to some extent, thanks to the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Sports diplomacy, people-to-people diplomacy and cultural exchanges have played a positive role in promoting China’s international image. The Beijing Winter Olympics served as a window to understand China and allowed the world to know more about the real and lovely China.

The survey was conducted by China.org.cn and ePanel. Allowing for the number of medals each country won at the last Winter Olympics, as well as the country’s population, economic influence, intercontinental distribution and other factors, overseas citizens aged 20-69 from 10 countries were randomly sampled from the international professional survey sample database. The questionnaire design, sampling, survey and analysis were conducted in accordance with the international market research standards and ethics of the ESOMAR. The survey results reflect objectively overseas respondents’ feelings and views on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

PR Newswire

HGC’s international telecom services transiting to Ukraine remain normal

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HONG KONG, March 8, 2022 — The international telecommunication services HGC provides to our global wholesalers and customers, including international voice, messaging and internet services, to Ukraine have continued to operate as normal, despite the turmoil the country is currently facing. The traffic is supported via international carrier interconnections that enable telecoms networks to operate as supported by the ITU regulations on international traffic flow.

HGC does not have any domestic operations in Ukraine. It provides international telecom services to global carriers connecting to about 400 carriers, MNOs and ISPs, providing global internet services to both consumers and corporate customers. HGC has been closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine since last month to ensure that international telecommunications service providers can maintain normal operations.

About HGC Global Communications Limited

HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC) is a leading Hong Kong and international telecom operator and ICT solution provider. The company owns an extensive network and infrastructure in Hong Kong and overseas and provides various kinds of services. HGC has 23 overseas offices, with business over 5 continents. It provides telecom infrastructure service to other operators and serves as a service provider to corporate and households. The company provides fully-fledged telecom, data centre services, ICT solutions and broadband services for local, overseas, corporate and mass markets. HGC owns and operates an extensive fibre-optic network, five cross-border telecom routes integrated into tier-one telecom operators in mainland China and connects with hundreds of world-class international telecom operators. HGC is one of Hong Kong’s largest Wi-Fi service providers, running over 29,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong. The company is committed to further investing and enriching its current infrastructure and, in parallel, adding on top the latest technologies and developing its infrastructure services and solutions. HGC is a portfolio company of I Squared Capital, an independent global infrastructure investment manager focusing on energy, utilities and transport in North America, Europe and selected fast-growing economies.

To learn more, please visit HGC’s website at: www.hgc.com.hk

Android, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Android 12L is Here for Pixel Devices! But isn’t it for Tablets?

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Google introduced their 12th generation of Android in 2021 and it looked promising. It was not a major change to how Android worked, as we have covered, but more of small improvements that added up to affect the total experience of what the system is and what it can do for you. We’ve updated our smartphones to Android 12, whichever ones that can be updated, and so far, we like them.

Google, not too long after their 2021 I/O announcement and showcase of Android 12, also introduced something they call Android 12L. You can see it as Android 12.1 in the current scheme of things. For smartphones, the improvements on Android 12L are relatively minor. You might not even notice any changes if you have updated your devices to Android 12L, which might come later if you are not on a Pixel device. But as Google puts it back then, Android 12L is not for smartphones.

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The whole point of Google introducing an entirely new minor update for Android in the Android 12L is mostly for the big screens, the Android tablets. It is supposed to improve the interface and make the larger display more natural and more intuitive to use. The settings menu is also supposed to take advantage of the larger display factor for more information and more natural interaction. There is also a more intuitive and better-looking multitasking experience with dual window mode that is more prominent.

Android 12L update should also bring the tablet experience closer to that of a Chrome OS and Windows. There is a consensus out there that if you want to get an Android tablet, you might as well think of getting a Chromebook with Chrome OS instead. Chrome OS, while flawed, is still one of the best ways to even experience the Android experience on a larger display. It is also a much better PC replacement than an Android ever could be. That is what Android 12L is supposed to tackle anyway, to make tablets more relevant.

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Source: Google

All these sounds promising. There is a problem, however. The only Android tablet today that supports Android 12 is Samsung’s brand-new Galaxy Tab S8 series. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 series will be getting Android 12, but that also means that Android 12L will have to wait, since its replacement will not be getting Android 12L update this soon.

Google did mention, in their blog post, that 12L will roll out to tablets and foldables later in the year. They listed Samsung, Lenovo and Microsoft, so that is the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 and Galaxy Z Fold3 covered, at least. We can only assume that from Microsoft’s end, it would be the Microsoft Surface Duo 2 that gets the update.

https://youtu.be/nvXR–VSosE

For Google’s Pixel devices though, the update, while minor, introduces some new useful features. For one, they added Night Sight for Snapchat users. It allows Snapchat to capture more vibrant and detailed snaps even in low-light conditions. There is also Live Caption mode in phone calls now where you can pick up a call, and simply converse by just typing your words out on the phone, or just clicking pre-set responses. You do not even have to listen to the phone call, just treat it like an instant messenger.

Live Translate is also getting an update from the new Android update. In Interpreter mode, you can now converse in Spanish, Italian, and French all through your smartphone. It will also be able to identify and translate Spanish in videos and photos when it is available on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.

Of course, Google wants to ensure that you do not have to scroll through hoops of apps and screens to find the most basic information from your device. Google have added a few widgets to help you cut down precious time for your battery information for your smartphone and its connected devices. There is also an improved At a Glance widget that will also help you keep track of the battery, if you want an “everything in one” widget.

The new Android 12L or 12.1 update is now available for Google Pixel 3a series, Pixel 4 series, Pixel 4a series, Pixel 5, and Pixel 5a. Google’s latest Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will also be getting the update, but at a slightly later date. More information on Android 12L and its smartphone features can be found on Google’s Blog.

PR Newswire

AsiaInfo Announces 2021 Annual Results

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Three New Business Revenue Growth Doubled Again

Net Profit Achieved Double-digit Growth

HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Operating revenue amounted to approximately RMB 6,895 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 14.5%;
  • Revenue of Three New business1 amounted to approximately RMB 1,568 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 101.0%;
  • Gross profit amounted to approximately RMB 2,645 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 14.8%;
  • Gross profit margin reached 38.4%, representing an increase of 0.1 percentage point as compared with last year;
  • Net profit amounted to approximately RMB783 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.2%;
  • Net profit margin reached 11.3%, representing an increase of 0.3 percentage point as compared with last year;
  • A final dividend of HK$0.416 per Share was proposed. Annual dividend payout ratio was approximately 40%.

HONG KONG, March 8, 2022 — AsiaInfo Technologies Holdings Limited ("AsiaInfo" or the "Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group", Stock Code: 01675 HK) is pleased to announce the audited consolidated results of the Group for the year ended 31 December 2021.

Revenue Growth Accelerated and Profitability Remained Healthy

The "14th Five-Year" Plan of the PRC put forward the notion of embracing digital era, accelerating the construction of a digital economy, a digital society and a digital government, thus the software industry will gain more opportunities for development. Facing the new stage and new characteristics of the PRC’s social and economic development, the Group actively strove to become a leading provider with full-stack digital and intelligent capabilities. In 2021, adhering to the strategy of "One consolidation, Three developments" and its five-year plan, the Group’s revenue growth accelerated and it registered double-digit growth in both operating revenue and net profit.

In 2021, the Group’s revenue amounted to approximately RMB 6,895 million, increased by 14.5% year-on-year. Among which, Three New business’s revenue amounted to approximately RMB 1,568 million, up by 101.0% year-on-year, while the proportion of Three New business to operating revenue further increased to 22.7%.  Gross profit margin amounted to 38.4% and net profit amounted to RMB 783 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 18.2%, with net profit margin expanded to 11.3%, representing an increase of 0.3 percentage point as compared with last year, maintaining healthy profitability.

The Board, after taking into full consideration of various factors including Shareholders’ returns, profitability, cash flow level and capital needs for future development of the Group, decided to propose the distribution of the 2021 final dividend of HK$0.416 per Share at the AGM with the annual dividend payout ratio of approximately 40%.

Fast Promotion of Three New Business & Doubling Revenue in DSaaS Again

In 2021, the Group seized the development opportunities brought by digital economy and continued its efforts in expanding DSaaS business, explored the value of data and information. It promoted various innovative business models such as results-based charging, sharing settlement and subscription, and successfully achieved multiple replication of such model adoption in customer groups, so as to provide several types of businesses, including user and content operation services, integrated big data construction and operation services for government affairs, and operational solutions for enterprise private domain traffic. Leveraging on the legal and compliant data sources, as well as its powerful AI and middle office technology sharing system, the Company unleashes the digital value and helps customers achieve value-based operations. In 2021, revenue from the DSaaS business achieved approximately RMB730 million, up by 107.5% year-on-year, accounted for 10.6% of operating revenue, becoming the strongest contributor among the Three New business driving the revenue growth of the Group.

In vertical industries and enterprise cloudification, the Group continued its strategic focus on the five key vertical industries, namely government affairs, finance, postal services, transportation and energy. Significant progress was made in the areas of government affairs and energy sectors. In the government affairs segment, the Group developed replicable solutions on digital government and acquired benchmark projects such as Shanghai Big Data Platform, Jieshou Digital City Brain and Zibo Big Data Platform. In the energy sector, the Group actively participated in China National Nuclear Power’s 5G private network-based production project and promoted the implementation of several typical 5G private network-based application scenarios in nuclear power, wind power, thermal power and other sub-sectors, accelerating the digital transformation of the energy sector. In addition, the Group had established strategic partnerships with mainstream cloud vendors such as Alibaba Cloud, Huawei Cloud, Baidu Cloud, Tencent Cloud, e-Surfing Cloud, Mobile Cloud, Wo Cloud and CECLOUD and deepened the cooperation with strategic partners to expand customers bases. It achieved sizable growth in delivery with Alibaba Cloud and for the first time, entered into RMB10 million-level project with Tencent Cloud. In 2021, the revenue from vertical industries and enterprise cloudification business of the Group amounted to approximately RMB 425 million, up by 135.6% year-on-year.

For OSS business, the Group takes full advantage of a technology middle-office software vendor and actively participates in the construction of operator network intelligentisation and network management systems, providing customers with products featuring "global domain virtualization, global domain intelligentisation and global domain cognition" and assisting operators to achieve business and network support capability integration. Moreover, the Group’s 5G network intelligentisation products commanded leading standard internationally and were enlisted in Gartner’s 2022 Global Network Intelligentisation Mainstream Vendor Matrix, and garnered the highest award for AI in China – Wu Wen Jun AI Science & Technology Progress Award. In 2021, the Group’s OSS business grew rapidly, achieving a revenue of approximately RMB 413 million, up by 66.7% year-on-year.

For BSS traditional business, the Group continues to capture a high market share and maintain a strong market leadership position. Facing changes in the external environment, the Group strived to explore business potential and continued to improve efficiency. It actively met the needs of customers for business support transformation and innovation, assisted customers in digital and intelligent upgrade. In 2021, the Group’s traditional business revenue amounted to approximately RMB 5,327 million, up by 1.7% year-on-year.

In research and development (R&D), the Group stepped up innovation and R&D initiatives in emerging business, including multi-party secure computing, federated learning, edge AI, digital twins, 5G private networks, 5G network intelligentisation, databases and other new technologies and new products. Many of these premium products were successfully commercialised in telecommunications and other vertical industries, supporting the rapid development of Three New business. Moreover, the Group continued to intensively participate in 20 international/ national standards organizations, including 3GPP, ITU, ETSI, IEEE, TMF and O-RAN with leading contributions to 40 international communication standards. In 2021, the Group’s R&D expenses amounted to approximately RMB1,006 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 19.7% and accounting for 14.6% of revenue.

Committed to "One consolidation, Three developments" Strategy to Fully Activate Growth Momentum

Facing the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, the digital economy has become a new engine for high-quality development of the PRC economy. In the market with both opportunities and challenges, the Group will continue to promote "One consolidation, Three developments" strategy, strive to unleash the value and efficiency of traditional business and endeavour to activate the growth momentum of Three New business, and dedicate to achieving the goal of "a business scale of over RMB10 billion, half of which comprises of the new business" in 2025.

For traditional market, the Group will strive to promote the development of new markets for BSS business. In 2022, the Group won the bidding for the construction of 5G business support system for China Broadcasting Network Group Corporation Ltd. Operational demands focusing on value-based operation, privilege operation and integrated operation will continue to prompt the needs of the customers in telecommunication industry for DSaaS. The demand for computing network as well as automatic and intelligent network will drive the needs in upgrading the OSS capability systems of customers. In terms of the enterprise cloudification business, the Group is actively facilitating cooperation with the state-owned cloud system, so as to increase its presence for actively developing the government affair and state-owned enterprise-based markets.

Note1: Three New business represents Data-driven Operation (DSaaS), vertical industries and enterprise cloudification, Operation Support Systems (OSS) business 

About AsiaInfo Technologies Limited

AsiaInfo Technologies Limited (stock code: 01675 HK) was founded in 1993 and successfully listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in December 2018. It is a leading provider of software products, solutions and services, and a leading provider of integrated cloud and network management services, and is committed to becoming an enabler of digital transformation for large enterprises in the 5G era.

The Group actively embraces advanced technology such as 5G, cloud computing, big data, AI and Internet of Things, and adheres to the strategic decision of "One consolidation, Three developments", relying on its products, services, operations and integration capabilities. AsiaInfo takes 5G as an opportunity to fully deploy and enhance its value and efficiency in the traditional business and consolidate its leadership position in the BSS market. In terms of emerging business, the Group will strive for rapid scale development in 5G OSS network intelligence, DSaaS digital operation services, enterprise cloudification and vertical industry. At the same time, the Group will work with industry partners to build an ecological system, continue to promote business model transformation, and contribute to the digital transformation of enterprises and sustainable development of the industry.

AsiaInfo Technologies Limited offers industry-leading R&D capabilities and a wealth of telecom-grade software products, including customer relationship management, billing and accounting, big data, Internet of Things and 5G network intelligence products, serving large corporate clients in telecommunications, finance, energy, postal services, government affairs, transportation and other industries.

 

PR Newswire

Happiness Development to Acquire Hekangyuan, One of the Largest Healthcare Product Distributors in Fuzhou Area in China

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NANPING, China, March 7, 2022 — Happiness Development Group Limited ("HAPP" or the "Company"), (NASDAQ: HAPP) an emerging and diversified company engaging in the business of production of nutraceutical and dietary supplements, providing e-commerce sales and e-commerce marketing solutions, and the sales of automobile today announced that it has signed an equity transfer agreement (the "Agreement") to acquire 100% of the equity interest in Fuzhou Hekangyuan Trading Co., Ltd. ("Hekangyuan") to further strengthen the distribution network of the Company.

Hekangyuan believes that it is one of largest healthcare product distributors in Fuzhou, China. Hekangyuan generated revenue of $17.6 million and $13.5 million, with net income of approximately $790,000 and $$579,000 for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. Pursuant to the terms of the Agreement, the parties agreed that the valuation of Hekangyuan is $12 million and the Company will issue 10 million class A ordinary shares to the shareholders of Hekangyuan in addition to a cash payment of $8 million, in exchange for the 100% equity of Hekangyuan. The Company will have the right to require the Hekangyuan shareholders to purchase back the ordinary shares at a consideration of $12 million in cash if Hekangyuan is unable to reach certain performance target including a net income of $4.5 million during the next three fiscal years of 2022, 2023 and 2024.

"Hekangyuan has been known for its healthcare product distribution network in Fuzhou area and we have been in talk with them about the acquisition in the last several months. We believe after the acquisition of Hekangyuan, we will further strengthen our leading position in the field of healthcare products in Northern Fujian. At the same time, with the successful expansion of our online sales, we will also help Hekangyuan to fully utilize its advantages of supply chain management and distribution abilities," said Mr. Xuezhu Wang, CEO of the Company.

About Happiness Development Group Limited

Headquartered in Nanping, China, Happiness Development Group Limited currently has three business lines: nutraceutical and dietary supplements, e-commerce and automobile sales. The nutrition and dietary supplements business is focusing on the research, development, manufacture and marketing of various products made from Chinese herbal extracts and other ingredients. Over the past 17 years, we have established a product portfolio consisting of 23 PRC National Medical Products Administration registered "Blue-Cap" SKUs of nutraceutical and dietary supplements products. Our e-commerce business focuses on offering e-commerce solutions, including advertising and information technology services to small and medium-sized enterprises in China. We also run our online stores which carries our products of dietary supplements and other selected products sourced from the small and medium-sized enterprises in China. Our mission for the e-commerce business is to enable small and medium-sized enterprises to fully leverage the power of e-commerce to grow rapidly. Our automobile sales adopts the B2B business model and is committed to optimizing the auto supply chain by connecting car dealers on our online automobile sales platform and offering the overall services for purchasing automobiles. For more information, please visit: www.happ.org.cn

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. When the Company uses words such as "may, "will, "intend," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate" or similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters, it is making forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations discussed in the forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to uncertainties and risks including, but not limited to, the following: the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the terms of the Agreement not hereafter being memorialized in a definitive agreement; the outcome of any legal proceedings that have been, or will be, instituted against the Company or other parties to the Agreement following announcement of the Agreement and transactions contemplated therein; the inability to complete the transactions contemplated by the Agreement due to unsatisfied closing conditions; risks that the proposed transaction disrupts current plans and operations as a result of the announcement of the Agreement and consummation of the transaction described therein; costs related to the proposed transactions contemplated by the Agreement; changes in applicable laws or regulations; and other risks and uncertainties described herein, as well as those risks and uncertainties contained in reports filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  For these reasons, among others, investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements in this press release. Additional factors are discussed in the Company’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available for review at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date hereof.

Accessories, Computers, iOS, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Apple’s ‘Peek Performance’ Is Happening Tomorrow! What Can We Expect?

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Apple has confirmed their first event for 2022 and no, it is not an Apple iPhone event. Well, it could be, but no one knows for sure. They are dubbing the event the “Peek Performance” event which could be a hint of what they could be launching in the event.

Since the event is happening soon, there are already tonnes of speculations around what Apple is set to launch at the event. The biggest hint comes from the way they teased the event itself. “Peek” is not a typo; Apple hardly make typo mistakes like this. We can only assume that it is intentional, and that Apple is teasing a sneak peek to what they are working on for 2022. Then again, they never do that too.

Apple iPhone SE 2022

Rumours have pointed to the next generation Apple iPhone SE for the 2022 season. This is also because Apple did not make an announcement on a new Apple iPhone SE in their iPhone 13 series launch. The Apple iPhone SE for 2022 should be their new “budget” device champion moving forward.

The new Apple iPhone SE might also come with 5G connectivity, which also means that Apple is going all 5G in preparation for its availability. Of course, among other things, the Apple iPhone SE for 2022 will come with a slew of improvements in the camera and display department as well.

Apple iPad Air 5G

There are also reports that Apple will be announcing a new iPad Air 5G in March 2022 alongside the new Apple iPhone SE. As the name suggests, the new iPad Air will come with 5G connectivity at its most premium configuration. It is also supposed to come with a better CPU than before, which is sort of a given. It could also come with Apple’s very popular and useful Center Stage feature alongside a wide-angle front facing camera.

More Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max Goodness, Maybe Even M2

Apple made a breakthrough with their own silicon design with first introducing the M1 chips. Last year they pushed the boundaries of their M1 chips with the M1 Pro and M1 Max. They proved to be very popular with their new MacBook Pro line-up as well. The M1 Pro and M1 Max’s potential should not only be limited to the laptops though.

Reports points to an improved Mac Mini for the event with new designs. The new Mac Mini should also include options for the M1 Pro and M1 Max. Imagine a small form factor computer with the power that rivals modern desktop PCs, and you get the idea.

There are also rumours that Apple is ready to roll out their next generation silicon, the M2. The M1 replacement is supposed to be much more powerful than before and supposed to grace a new 13-inch MacBook Pro. There is not much information surrounding Apple’s upcoming silicon though.

More Likely Than Not, it Has to do With Vision

Apple does make an external display, a very expensive one at that. You might recall Apple launching their Pro Display XDR, an ultra-high-end display made for the professional working space. There is an optional stand that is worth US$ 999 that you can buy for it too. But what if the Pro Display XDR is a little too rich for the blood?

Most recent reports point to Apple working on an external display that does not pack Mini LEDs and is smaller in size compared to the Pro Display XDR. That also means that it could be a lot more affordable than the premium display that is about two years old now. The reports also point to a price point that is about half the Pro Display XDR at US$ 2,500.

Everything Will be Revealed Soon

As always, there is no 100% guarantees with Apple’s event. While we can make an educated guess to what they want to launch based on reports and rumours off the internet, Apple somehow keeps their lips tight on all their announcements. That also means that we will only find out or see their full launch list at their event which is happening soon. You can catch their event on the 8th of March 2022 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (9th March 2022 at 2 a.m. Kuala Lumpur +0800 GMT time) on their website.

PR Newswire

The Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Informatics Raises Public Awareness on Internet Catfish Phenomenon

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JAKARTA, Indonesia, March 7, 2022 — With the rising concerns on potential moral hazards from online catfish phenomenon, the Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Informatics (Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika), through the National Digital Literacy Movement Siberkreasi, increases initiatives to raise awareness of the Indonesian public through an online event called "Obral Obrol liTerasi Digital: Mengenal Fenomena Penipuan Catfishing" that was broadcasted live on Youtube and Facebook on February 24, 2022.

The Indonesia's Ministry of Communications and Informatics Raises Public Awareness on Internet Catfish Phenomenon
The Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Informatics Raises Public Awareness on Internet Catfish Phenomenon

Notable guest speakers included Relationship Expert & Psychologist, Dian Wisnuwardhani; MAFINDO‘s Fact Checker, Bentang Febrylian; and Siberkreasi/ICT Watch’s Steering Committee, Donny B. U.

Catfishing Phenomenon

Catfishing is a term that is used to describe a scam which uses false online identity to deceive the victim. The fraudster usually uses unsolicited photographs and information of another person to create a believable online persona that might romantically charm the victims, only to eventually extorting them and leading the victim to suicide in extreme cases.

This catfishing phenomenon turns out to be a major discouraging factor when using dating apps. A study stated, 65% of a total 18,000 respondents in 27 countries (including Indonesia) were afraid being scammed on dating apps, and upsettingly, 15% of total respondents reported that they have already been scammed. Among the scammed, catfishing is the number one modus operandi with 51% of those who were targeted fell for it.

Internet makes it possible for anyone to create its own identity, so anyone can be any character that they want to be online. "Identity play becomes a form of satisfaction when perpetrators are being perceived as another person in people’s eyes. Unfortunately, this technology is also used to commit frauds," said Donny.

Catfish Characteristics

There are key characteristics that may be referred to identify an online catfish, namely: refusing to make video call, avoiding face-to-face meeting, and restricting communication only via chat and voice call. "Most likely, catfish perpetrators behave like that to protect their identities from being exposed. So, the victim will not have any clue on the actual face of the catfish perpetrators," said Bentang.

Furthermore, Dian views that catfishing phenomenon occurs when people are not comfortable for being themselves, thus the perpetrator cannot show their natural selves without any disguise. "From psychology standpoint, this is called identity confusion, so they are confused with themselves. If we use Facebook or Instagram, when we frequently took pictures by using filters rather than being natural, this shows that something is going on with the personality of such person," said Dian.

Currently, the Indonesia’s Ministry of Communications and Informatics through Siberkreasi continue to prepare various webinars and workshop events addressing digital literacy.

For more information on Obral Obrol liTerasi Digital or other Siberkreasi’s upcoming events, please visit http://info.literasidigital.id and follow @siberkreasi on social media.

About The Ministry of Communication and Informatics of Indonesia

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics of Indonesia through Ditjen Aptika has the primary function of spreading and developing the national digital infrastructure to accelerate Indonesia’s digital transformation.

The Ministry is working with National Digital Literacy Movement Siberkreasi as its partner to provide education on digital literacy to the broader public through various forms of media. This movement is focused on using digital literacy as a way to elevate the national capability and to further the Indonesian people.