The insightful “Riding the Tech Wave: Who is Alibaba Cloud and How does it Relate to Your Life?” workshop was jointly organised by the Faculty of Information and Communication Technology (FICT) and Alibaba Cloud (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd on 9 September 2022 at UTAR Kampar Campus.

Present at the workshop were FICT Deputy Dean for Academic Development and Undergraduate Programmes Ts Dr Cheng Wai Khuen, and esteemed speakers, namely Alibaba Cloud Malaysia Head of Business Development Adeline Lai, Alibaba Cloud Malaysia Senior Solutions Architect Ngoi SeKeng, W Tech Marketing Sdn Bhd Chief Technologist Officer Mathew Chin, MK Cloud Sdn Bhd Managing Director Mike Soon and Alibaba Cloud Training Advisor JY Wong.

A recorded opening remark by UTAR President Ir Prof Dato’ Dr Ewe Hong Tat kick-started the workshop. He said, “The Alibaba Cloud Academy Day 2022 aims at bringing digital intelligence to academic institutions worldwide. The workshop is also pivotal that UTAR students and the teaching staff are getting the best and latest cloud computing curriculum, as well as access to experienced professionals to help them validate and clarify their theoretical knowledge. UTAR is indeed privileged and honoured to be working together with Alibaba Cloud Malaysia Sdn Bhd, a global leader in cloud computing and artificial intelligence, which provides reliable and secure cloud computing and data processing capabilities. On behalf of the University, I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt appreciation to Alibaba Cloud Malaysia because today’s workshop will help us prepare our students for the Digital Cloud Transformation journey. We are indeed proud to be part of the Alibaba Cloud Academic Empowerment Programme and through today’s workshop I look forward to greater educational benefits for our students as well as information and knowledge exchanges between Alibaba Cloud and UTAR.”

Head of Marketing from Alibaba Cloud Malaysia Yilan Zhuang advised participants, “After completing my studies, I was keen to join some technology and internet companies. However, I failed most of the interviews, including some interviews at top internet companies in China. Thankfully, I obtained a job in Google China. I remembered the supervisor replying to my questions saying that the position required the person to be hands-on and to be able to carry out the mission set by the company. After Google, and with the experience I gained, I was able to join Alibaba Cloud International. Throughout my experience, I learnt that small achievements can make huge successes. We should work hard and also work smart.”

Lai gave an introduction about Alibaba Cloud and the milestones of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence. She also listed companies that Alibaba Cloud Malaysia has worked with to create impact by helping local businesses adopt cloud and accelerate their business digitally. Meanwhile, Ngoi enlightened the participants on the “Key Technologies that Powered World’s Largest Shopping Festival” and “Media Solutions that Supported Olympic Game Tokyo 2020”.

Soon shared his experience and encouraged participants to expand their digital knowledge and skills, when he spoke on “Embarking on the Cloud Journey: The Challenges and How to Overcome Them”. He concluded by advising participants to get a mentor, start with mastering one cloud trial and error and get certified.

On the hand, Chin spoke on “Machine to Cloud: Deep Dive into Digital Transformation”, in which he highlighted some of the problems faced in the manufacturing industry. These problems include labour cost, low productivity, production downtime, and lack of experts. He elucidated further on the ways digital processes could solve these problems because they provided connectivity to other machines, constant monitoring, asset & operation tracking, and enabled data analysis to optimise the process. Wong, the final speaker encouraged participants to participate in the Alibaba Cloud Academic Empowerment Programme (AAEP). It aimed to provide new skills to participants through Alibaba Cloud training and courses.

The workshop ended with a certificate-giving ceremony and interactive Q&A session.