Local Industry News

SLIIT has collaborated with long-standing academic partner Curtin University Australia, to provide students with an opportunity to obtain an internationally recognised Graduate Diploma in Cyber Security awarded by Curtin University leading to the MSc. in IT specialising in Cyber Security at SLIIT, marking yet another milestone in the institute’s portfolio of academic offerings.

Sri Lanka needs professionals who are competent. All should change their mindset, if they want to see the country being turned into the hub of aviation, maritime, education, power and energy and knowledge in the region as envisaged by the government, Colombo Dockyard Chief Executive Officer Mangala Yapa said.

A seminar and exhibition on how ICT makes business grow will be held in Jaffna in early April, the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) said.

The Virtual Learning Network (VLN) developed by the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA) was launched by Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) – one of the most renowned institutions in the world will be reaching another milestone today by completing 174 years of exemplary service to the business community in Sri Lanka.

Twenty-five Sri Lankan companies were accorded top honours at the prestigious South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) regional awards on Friday night in Colombo for their outstanding financial reports in the presence of South Asia’s corporate glitterati. Sri Lanka Telecom was adjusted an overall winner along with Bangladesh’s IDLC Finance Limited and Prime Bank Limited at the SAFA Best Presented Annual (BPA) Report Awards which was hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka).

Virtusa Corporation (NAS: 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 CRF Institute has named it one of Britain's Top Employers for the third consecutive year.

Sri Lanka is to establish acomprehensive data base containing a list of mobile phones with all details including its international mobile equipment identity (IMEI) which is a unique identification code for each mobile device, the country’s telecommunication regulator said.

The Colombo’s famous Tripoli market will be transformed into a ‘knowledge park’ by the end of this year, housing a cluster of private Information Technology (IT) firms, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told a seminar organised by The Sri Lanka Association of Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) in Colombo this week.

By Nadia Fazlulhaq and Tharooshie Mahahewage

As the number of Facebook (FB) users increases in Sri Lanka, so does the number of complaints of misuse with seven cases a day being reported to the Police.

“Infrastructure development is vital for the growth of the IT BPO industry,” said the chairman of the Sri Lanka Association of Software Service Companies (SLASSCOM) Sujeewa Devaraj. He was speaking at the SLASSCOM CXO Lunch Briefing in Colombo last week. In the cost structure of the IT BPO industry, HR cost is the highest and infrastructure comes second. Several global reports on real estate costs have recognised Sri Lanka as one of the most cost-effective destinations in the region.

The amended bill on dual citizenship will soon be implemented introducing a residency scheme for foreign nationals who want to work or start businesses in Sri Lanka, said Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

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.