1. Introduction
NTT Com Asia Limited (NTT Com Asia) [1] was established in Hong Kong in 1999. As the key arm of NTT Communications’ Asia operations, it has devoted its best efforts to becoming the premiere ICT Solution Partner for enterprises in Greater China. In collaboration with its affiliate HKNet Company Limited (HKNet) [2], NTT Com Asia offers the best connectivity, datacentre, enterprise hosting, cloud, and managed services in the region. It has positioned itself as the communication gateway for global enterprises to develop and manage their operations in Hong Kong and mainland China. NTT Com Asia and HKNet currently employ around 300 industry professionals, working in three offices in Hong Kong. Earlier in May, the company expanded its operations and opened a new branch in Macao to meet the growing demands in that city.
2. Total ICT solutions
2.1 Connectivity services
Utilising NTT Communications’ Tier I IP backbone and the Arcstar™ private network, NTT Com Asia and HKNet offer a full array of global and local connectivity services in Hong Kong from MPLS (multiprotocol label switching), IPVPN (Internet protocol virtual private network), leased line, IPv4/IPv6 (IP versions 4 & 6) transit, and a content delivery network to teleconferencing services. Thanks to its prime location in Asia, Hong Kong has developed as a regional ICT and financial hub with tremendous demand for top-quality network services.
2.2 Datacentre and managed services
NTT Communications Hong Kong Data Centre [3] (Fig. 1) and HKNet Kwai Chung Data Centre [4], which were designed to world-class standards, offer the best-in-class datacentre service in the region. Both facilities are carrier neutral, providing highly diverse options, good coverage, and high-availability failover solutions.
Fig. 1. NTT Communications Hong Kong Data Centre.
Officially launched in 2009, NTT Communications Hong Kong Data Centre is a dedicated datacentre located in a highly secure and robust environment in Tai Po, Hong Kong. This state-of-the-art seven storey datacentre provides a world-class datacentre service with a total gross area of 212,100 sq. ft. (19,705 m2) and optimal power and cooling systems. It was designed with a Tier III+ fully redundant infrastructure. Every aspect of the facility is equipped with at least N+1 redundancy, and a multiple-source and multiple-path design was used to ensure business continuity.
This facility is accredited with ISO 27001 and 9001 for its Information Security Management System and Quality Management. In addition to these ISO certifications of its high standard of operation performance, NTT Com Asia has recently scooped the accolade of Silver Award for Best Green ICT [5] bestowed on the NTT Communications Hong Kong Data Centre at The Hong Kong ICT Awards 2011 for its green management approach and achievements. Given its success in improving energy efficiency by 10% in the past two years, NTT Com Asia set forth another ambitious target of a further 10% efficiency enhancement within this year.
Last year, NTT Communications announced its plan to develop a green efficient, premium Tier IV-ready datacentre [6] to meet the demands of the market. 30,000 m2 of land in Tseung Kwan O, Hong Kong, was acquired for the purpose-built structure. Upon completion, the new datacentre will have a total gross floor area of 70,000 m2, composed of two five-storey datacentre buildings and one six-storey office building. Scheduled to begin operations in 2013, it is expected to be the first Tier IV-ready datacentre in the city and the largest one developed by a datacentre service provider in the city, complementing Hong Kong’s position as an ICT hub in Asia.
The company’s expansion plans have accelerated to accommodate exceptional levels of demand. Clients include multinationals from the financial services, telecommunications, logistics, and technology sectors as well as information technology (IT) and web companies originating from more than fifteen countries, including mainland China.
NTT Com Asia also provides an array of Managed Services [7] and worldwide technical support worldwide 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
2.3 Enterprise hosting
For over ten years, NTT Com Asia has striven to optimise solutions that help enterprises to maximise their IT resource usage and enhance their business operations. NTT Com Asia’s Enterprise Hosting Services are highly flexible and designed to support rapid deployment and implementation in order to facilitate enterprises’ IT initiatives on any scale from local ad hoc projects to extensive global initiatives.
It offers a comprehensive portfolio of enterprise-grade hosting services from managed infrastructure outsourcing to subscription-based cloud solutions. These solutions support the extension of IT capabilities such as storage and servers in real time over the network on an as-needed basis, which helps enterprises to operate efficiently and flexibly while at the same time meeting the demand for increased mobility.
NTT Com Asia’s Cloud Hosting solutions utilise VMware’s virtualisation technology and NTT Communications’ top-notch datacentre and Tier 1 Global IP Network. The comprehensive portfolio of cloud services, including Global Virtualization Service, Virtual Infrastructure, Virtual Desktop, and Virtual Server Hosting, helps enterprises to build their cloud platform and achieves the highest level of agility and efficiency for their businesses.
3. R&D incubation centre
NTT Com Asia takes pride in developing a research and development (R&D) incubation centre in Asia to nurture ICT technologies and innovation in Asia. By creating innovative ideas and driving R&D development, it hopes to bring about a breakthrough in advanced technologies in the ICT industry and lay the foundations for the future.
Last year, it organised the first ICT for the Future R&D Forum in Hong Kong. This featured cutting-edge technologies from NTT’s R&D Centres that have enabled industry leaders to remain resilient while still being at the forefront of the latest technological trends (Figs. 2–5). The forum showcased approximately 20 exhibits from NTT’s R&D Centres covering a wide spectrum of areas from the pursuit of Technologies for Human Life and Society, Technologies for Business; Energy and Environment Technologies; and Science, Engineering, and Network Technologies.
Fig. 2. Noritaka Uji opened the ICT for the Future R&D Forum with a keynote address.
Fig. 3. NTT Com Asia unveiled cutting-edge
Fig. 4. 4K Digital Cinema, the world’s first digital cinema distribution and management system, drew wide attention.
Fig. 5. Interactive Digital Signage, which comprises SpotAd and NTT Docomo’s Recommender System and presents customised ads according to realtime movement and customer preferences and profiles, was also popular.
There were also demonstrations and thought-provoking keynote speeches delivered by NTT’s Noritaka Uji, Senior Executive Vice President; Dr. Katsuhiko Kawazoe, Vice President and Chief Producer; and Dr. Kenji Yokoyama, General Manager from the R&D Planning Department as well as guest speaker Professor Matthew Ming-Fai Yuen, Acting Vice-President for Research and Development of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
The event provided a platform for the exchange of views and successfully attracted hundreds of leaders from top corporations and the research community. Through the incubation of technology seeds, we look forward to further strengthening the strategic position of Hong Kong as the region’s ICT hub.
4. Looking forward
NTT Com Asia will continue to provide high-quality innovative ICT solutions to the strategic market in Hong Kong, Macao, and Greater China for NTT Communications. With the accelerating demand for total ICT solutions for enterprises in Asia, we are bullish about its outlook and will strive to further strengthen Hong Kong’s position as the region’s ICT hub.
References
NTT COM ASIA — short column
Dim sum is gaining in popularity in Japan. It is a range of delightful Chinese snacks that are mostly served hot in bamboo baskets accompanied by Chinese tea. I am sure that most of you have tried it and gained at least an indirect taste of this cultural aspect of Hong Kong. People say that you have not really been to Hong Kong if you didn’t try dim sum during your trip. Here, these delightful, mouth-watering snacks are consumed at breakfast and lunch. Some of my favourites are steamed shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, barbecued pork buns, and beef balls. Seeing these mini arts pieces, which are handmade in bite sizes, you will learn a bit of the local culture in Hong Kong.
Dim sum is served in bamboo baskets.
Steamed beef dumplings: one of my favourite dim sum
When you go into a Chinese restaurant at lunch time or at the weekend, you may find the noise and crowds intimidating, especially if you are a first timer. Dim sum restaurants in Hong Kong are busy, loud, and fast-paced. That is what makes them great, but the clamour and clatter can also be off-putting. I like this kind of group experience where a selection of dishes is ordered and shared around the table. Many of the tables in the restaurants, which are mostly round, can seat from four to eight or even twelve people. Sitting alone is rare.
Soon after your order has been placed, the food arrives at your table fairly fast. Sometimes the bamboo baskets are stacked up high and even block your view of your companions. This actually makes the great experience of dining in a dim sum restaurant. Joining the gang and being part of the bustling environment is really fun.
The experience is an accurate reflection of Hong Kong culture. People here like sharing, straightforwardness, and speed. Efficiency is always the top priority. In the office, people always try to get things done in the quickest possible way, which is sometimes a contrast to the courtesy and sedate procedures of Japanese culture. Decision-making processes are amazingly quick and I enjoy working in the heart of Asia.
View of Victoria Harbour from The Peak.
Tsing Ma Bridge.
Hong Kong is a fast moving city, just like Tokyo in Japan or New York in the USA. People walk extremely fast, especially during office hours. The city also has a pleasant side. The world-famous dazzling Victoria Harbour and relaxing country parks are some of the areas that I am fond of for outings.
Hong Kong is truly a gourmet’s delight. I am sure that NTT Com Asia staff members will be delighted to recommend some of their favourite dishes during your next visit to Hong Kong.
Lucy Leung, NTT Com Asia Ltd.
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