Facilitated in the Islamic Funds & Sukuk School organised by CERT

I was invited to conduct a session at the recent IFSS event organised by CERT. I talked about the importance of Sukuk valuation. Below is the brochure.

IFASS - March 2011

I will upload my slides later.

Why cloud computing will be the next new thing for all of us

I recently went for a conference organized by Oracle regarding cloud computing. In a nutshell, cloud computing is just the notion of aggregating everything to the internet. In other words, the current environment of individual operating systems, individual file storage and individual licensed software will become the thing of the past.

In cloud computing, the only item that is necessary to have is a simple terminal with internet accessibility. The calculating power no longer resides on a chip but will be handled by the cloud itself. These following factors introduces a few interesting potential scenarios. These are:

1. Upfront cost of ownership reduces substantially. Instead of getting the latest computers with the fastest chip, a simple basic computer is all that is needed to do anything.
2. Education to the masses. Every child can be provided a terminal for internet based learning. The classroom is no longer defined as a physical location. Everyone can attend “a” class, no matter where there are in the world. Age will also not be a factor. Adults that did not have the opportunity to go through the standard education process can now attend. As there will not be any requirement to be at a certain place and hence meet other people in class, it minimizes “embarrassment” and hence more adults will be willing to take such classes.
3. Reduces the cost of maintaining a large quality teaching staff. With webcam and audio interaction, one quality teacher can handle a multitude of students at any point of time.
4. Ease of review and feedback. Using the internet meant everything that is done through it will be recorded. Hence, the ability to review and provide feedback will be a good learning experience not only for the students but also for the teachers and facilitators.

A few downsides to the cloud computing concept should also be noted. These are:

1. Internet infrastructure is crucial. Without a good internet infrastructure in place, the power of the cloud computing cannot be utilized effectively. This factor makes less develop countries unable to maximize of this technology to leapfrog towards the more developed nations.
2. Discipline is paramount. Using the infrastructure for non-productive activities reduces the capacity for more productive proceedings. Moreover, learning via internet will require discipline by students to remain at the terminal to learn as there will not be any form of disciplinary figure present.

For me, the benefits outweigh the negatives. I am all for the transition to cloud computing. What about you?

Nuclear energy - a must have technology for advancement

The events unfolding in Japan regarding its nuclear power stations is disturbing. I hope they can contain any fallout from any failure of the various reactors.

This is not be used as an excuse to limit Malaysia's energy focus to purely non-nuclear. Although renewal energy is the best option, the current renewable energy technology is not sufficient to support our current standard of living. To make it a reality, we must change the very nature of our life.

Instead, we should look at what has happened as a case study and ensure that if it does happen, we can adequate tackle the problem head on.

I am all for nuclear technology.

Evolution of computer infrastructure to business

After attending a talk by oracle on the evolution of computers to the business,it got me thinking.The concept of cloud computing can revolutionise how we do business. Now companies do not need to invest in hardware extensively to do the same job in the future.

I am currently using my Galaxy Tab to upload this post. Once I get back to office I will expand this subject further.

My comments in the papers: Influx of gulf funds viewed as temporary

Below is the link to the article in The Star Newspaper that quoted me.

http://www.bpam.com.my/fileDownload.asp?File=/upload/in_the_press/&Name=TheStar_030311.pdf&Size=0

Bond Market performance for February 2011 appears lower compared to the previous month

Returns in the Malaysian bond market remain mixed for the second month running. Practically all bond classes suffered poorer performance in February 2011 compared to January 2011. Although this is typical for this time of the year due to the number of public holidays as well as the shorter month compared to other months of the year, other factors have multiplied it further. The possible impact to the world's economy due to events in the Middle East is one key factor that caused yields for the bond market to be more hawkish. Government papers appears to take the brunt of the current market sentiment.

Visit: http://www.bpam.com.my/ for a copy of the report