Local Industry News

Sri Lanka has been leading the South Asian region in deploying of the new technologies in the telecommunication sector. The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) has been proactive in introducing new technologies where Sri Lanka was the first to introduce 3G network followed by 3.5G network in South Asia.

The monthly Colombo Selenium Meetup was held on the 20th March at the 99X Technology office, where over 50 participants from the industry took out time to listen to Sahan Serasinghe, on his views on Desktop Test Automation talking about a developed testing tool called “CodedUI” which is easy to use with its range of features followed by a very interactive Q & A Session.

Sahan conducting the presentation

Bringing together the Principals and teachers from across the island, the Ministry of Education together with Intel Sri Lanka hosted the e-Village Forum 2013 at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute on 21st March 2013. Showcasing the most successful ICT projects initiated in their respective schools, the event provided a unique opportunity for people from e-Villages to interact and learn from one another.

Secretary Defence and Urban Development Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa attended the CXO Lunch Briefing of the Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies (SLASSCOM) held  this morning (20thMarch 2013).

Intel has refused to comment on speculation that it has acquired Belfast mobile technology company Aepona for an estimated US$120m.

Sri Lanka is one of the fastest growing IT markets in the region although 9 out of 10 software packages in use are pirated and the country ranks low in terms of risk/rewards ratings.

Dialog Axiata PLC won the Telecom Brand of the Year award for the second year running at the prestigious SLIM-Nielsen People’s Choice Awards held at the Waters Edge Tuesday night. Dialog went on to make it a double by winning the inaugural Internet Service Brand of the Year as well on the night.

Sri Lanka is planning on establishing an IT industry related service centre in Old Tripoli Market, Colombo. The project is funded by the Urban Development Authority and the construction of the project is expected to begin shortly. The Sri Lanka Navy has undertaken the construction of proposed centre.

Computer Society of Sri Lanka (CSSL) last week signed a MOU with Australian Computer Society at Cinnamon Grand Hotel Colombo. The MOU is around how CSSL and ACS would work together in the future to introduce professional recognition schemes through certifications for IT professionals in Sri Lanka.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), legendry institution in the Asia Pacific region, will be reaching its 174th milestone in completing its long standing exemplary service to the business community in Sri Lanka on 25 March.

Despite recent efforts to tackle software piracy, Mirror Business learns that the unauthorized use of software by Sri Lankans has been shockingly high at 84 percent in 2012, implying that 84 out of 100 Lankans ran their computers on pirated software.

The winners of the ‘Innovative Teachers and Students’ National Competition 2012’ were awarded and felicitated at a grand ceremony held at the BMICH in Colombo recently.

Coinciding with the opening day proceedings at the Mattala Mahinda Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA), President Mahinda Rajapaksa launched the Hambantota City App at a colourful evening ceremony at the Airport premises in Mattala on March 18.

Virtusa Corporation(NASDAQ: VRTU), a global business consulting and IT outsourcing company that combines innovation, technology leadership and industry solutions to transform the customer experience, today announced that the Worcester Business Journal has named CEO Kris Canekeratne one of its Business Leaders of the Year (in the large business category).

Crossing yet another milestone in its efforts towards the effective integration of technology into the country’s education system, Intel Sri Lanka together with the Ministry of Education has successfully introduced the Intel® Teach Program in the North Central Province thereby taking this Program to all nine provinces in the country. This was accomplished with the recent launch of Intel® Teach Leadership Forum for Education Ministry officials in Anuradhapura.

By A. L. M. A. Shameem Senior Lecturer South Eastern University of Sri Lanka

What is Business Village?

Business Villages are a way of providing accommodation for smaller companies, by situating them under one roof. On the basis of sharing resources such as office room, Information Technology, parking, and reception staff, costs can be lower than for one company going it alone. Economies of scale are tangible in these environments since the cost of services is aggregated among all the businesses in the village.

“The Health Ministry will establish and maintain a complete Health Information System with the assistance of the Kelaniya University. Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena ordered health officials to establish and maintain a complete health information system to provide a better health service to the public,” a Health ministry spokesman said.

Sri Lanka’s computer literacy has increased from 5% to 35% during the last seven years, according to a survey carried out by the Education Ministry.

The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations & Strategic Studies inaugurated ‘Connecting with Silicone Valley,’ the first series of its video lectures.

In coincidence with Deyata Kirula 2013, steps have been taken to improve access to ICT facilities in areas close to where Deyata Kirula 2013 is held, says the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA).

The Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team |Coordination Centre (Sri Lanka CERT|CC), a subsidiary of the ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), has taken yet another initiative to protect websites.

Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team | Coordination Centre (Sri Lanka CERT|CC) said they were not able to take any effective action against the administrators of the Facebook page ‘schoolgirls’ that had featured unauthorised images of young girls in an offensive context, as the privacy policies of social media sites prevented them from obtaining the personal details of the offenders.

To ensure a secure job placement soon after completing ones education is everyone’s dream. While for some this might pose much trouble, for some others like Mohamed Saleem, getting a job soon after completing his education was an easy pass.

Ms Ayoma Priyadharshani Nanayakkara, Ms. Shalanika Gangani Dayarathna, and Mr. Liyanapathiranage Nipuna Dilshan did Sri Lanka proud by securing 3 World Prizes at the CIMA November 2012 Examination.