Entrepreneur's Eden : The Initial K Project

eG Innovations Inc is the leading provider of IT infrastructure performance monitoring and management solutions. Our unique dataflow and applications dependency technology is key to ensuring high availability and performance of mission-critical systems, where proactive monitoring, rapid diagnosis, and instant recovery are critical. eG Innovations offers a new generation of service monitoring solutions that makes IT infrastructure monitoring and management simple, yet effective. Founded by Mr Srinivas Ramanathan in 2001, eG Innovations Inc is a privately held software company headquartered in Singapore with offices in US and India. Customers worldwide use the eG solutions to improve the quality of their services thereby enhancing their competitive positioning, lower their operational costs, and optimize the usage of their infrastructures.

Mission

To address the growing requirements of businesses, eG Innovations aims to deliver best-of-breed products and services that enable IT infrastructure operators to maintain and manage their services in an easy, effective, and efficient manner.

Focus

To ensure that an IT infrastructure remains operating at peak performance, it is critical for a monitoring solution to track the health of not only the network elements but also the critical server and application components. Moreover, to be able to proactively monitor the infrastructure, it is essential to continuously monitor the end-user service performance. Furthermore, because multiple applications and network elements interact to enable an end-user service, a problem with one element may manifest as problems with many other related elements. Monitoring solutions that look at the target environment as a collection of distinct, independent elements are often not capable of assisting operators to quickly determine when and where problems originate.

eG Innovations offers a new generation of service monitoring solutions that makes IT infrastructure monitoring and management simple, yet effective. The eG solution suite is especially suited for mission-critical infrastructures, where proactive monitoring, rapid diagnosis, and instant recovery are critical.

In line with its objective of being a trusted partner that enables service excellence for businesses, eG Innovations is working to integrate its technology with solutions from industry leaders like Computer Associates and Hewlett-Packard, to deliver a comprehensive service management solution that offers customers the best return on investment (ROI). We are also participating in industry forums that are involved in the specification of frameworks and architectures for web services, service qualification and certification processes for Internet data centers, and operational standards and reporting procedures for service providers. In collaboration with its Managed Service Providers (MSP) partners worldwide, eG Innovations is also pioneering a new, cost-effective, remote service monitoring model.

Got it! =)

SINGAPORE: It came as a pleasant surprise for many Singaporeans as they awoke on Friday morning to the news that the country’s most wanted fugitive, Mas Selamat Kastari, has been captured.

With Influenza A (H1N1) dominating recent headlines, almost all 20 Singaporeans TODAY spoke to said they didn’t see Mas Selamat’s capture on the radar.

Mr Lim Cheng Heng, who read the news while having his breakfast, probably expressed the sentiments of many when he said: "I thought he had disappeared."

Another Singaporean, Mr Raymond Quek, had believed that the conspiracy theories he had heard were true, until he read the news of the fugitive’s capture.

"I thought he had died and we would not hear from him again," said the retiree. "But it is good that he has been caught."

Mas Selamat’s capture not only made local headlines, but also found its way to foreign news outlets in Australia and India.

It is believed that he was nabbed in the outskirts of Johor Baru and is now being held by the Malaysian authorities for interrogation.

While Singaporeans were glad to hear of Mas Selamat’s capture, many had questions as to how he ended up in Malaysia. For some, the news that he was arrested in Johor came too close for comfort.

"Why was he in Malaysia? Was he planning something that we may not know of?" wondered auditor Sophia Loh.

Mr Tan Hee Joek added: "Was he communicating with someone here? I thought he would have escaped further, say Indonesia."

It is not known why Mas Selamat was in Malaysia. It is also not known why even though he was arrested six weeks ago, the Malaysian authorities have yet to announce the capture.

Financial planner Vincent Tan added: "I thought the authorities said they had no news of his whereabouts. It is definitely a surprise and I hope the authorities could share with us the details of his escape."

Ms Cheng Li Min also wondered how Mas Selamat escaped Singapore given that authorities had shut down the country’s borders hours after his escape from the Whitley Road Detention Centre.

"I do hope the authorities could share with us what happened," she said.

It is not known how he slipped out of Singapore or when he entered Malaysia.

Mr Chia Wei Ping felt the authorities did well in tracking down the fugitive so quickly.

"Some fugitive go on the run for years and can’t be found. They did well in making sure he is caught before he causes any damage," said the technical officer.

Teacher Eugene Ng felt that the news of Mas Selamat’s capture could not have come at a better time.

"With Singapore downgrading from Orange to Yellow Alert for the flu virus, I think this comes as great news."

SHE would spend her mornings at a quiet spot near her workplace - studying.

Ms Delcie Cheong is now assistant manager at the Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery of the National University Heart Centre.

In the afternoons, she would switch to work mode when she steps into the National University Hospital (NUH).

That was how SIM Global Education (SIM GE) graduate Delcie Cheong, 41, divided her day whenever exams approached.

Being able to juggle studies and work was crucial to the part-time student's pursuit of a Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Management from the University of Manchester, a course offered at SIM GE.

Luckily for her, both her boss and her husband were supportive.

Ms Cheong graduated this year and her hard work has paid off.

The former executive secretary secured a promotion to become the assistant manager in the Department of Cardiac, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery of the National University Heart Centre, Singapore, which is located in NUH.

She said the position had opened up before she completed her degree, but she decided to 'be bold' and applied for it.

Her boss, Professor Lee Chuen Neng, 57, who is head of the department, said the promotion was 'contingent upon her getting a degree'.

He was the one who urged Ms Cheong to go back to school as she struck him as being 'extremely efficient and smart'.

He noted: 'Many people did not have the chance to further their studies when they were young.

'Sometimes it was because of family circumstances, other times because they were late bloomers.'

Ms Cheong said that as a teen, she chose to work instead of pursuing her studies because of 'financial reasons'.

Her studies at SIM GE were funded by the hospital. In return, she has to serve a one-year bond upon graduation.

Prof Lee said: 'We encourage our staff to upgrade themselves continuously as they will perform better at their job and this will benefit the whole organisation, which in turn will benefit our patients.'

The modular structure of the SIM-Manchester programme, where students focus on one course at a time, suits working adults well.

Exams are held on Saturdays, while weekday classes are from 7pm to 10pm.

Ms Cheong said she was grateful for the patience and insight shown by the overseas lecturers as well as the local tutors.

She has since applied what she learnt from her course at work.

She said her finance modules have helped her with the annual budgeting.

Her human resources modules have come in handy as she manages a team of eight administrative staff, eight heartline machine specialists and more than 25 doctors.

'I've learnt how to manage people from different cultures,' she said, noting that the department hosts visiting fellows from many countries, like Japan, Myanmar, Nigeria and Armenia.

But Ms Cheong said she could not have done it without her husband, who drove her home after every class and provided emotional support throughout.

With a smile, she noted that going back to school also meant she could 'set a good example' for her daughter, 14, and son, 10.

1ST-CLASS HONOURS

Family support was important to Mr Kirby Chua Han Ping, 26, as well. He belonged to the pioneer batch of SIM-Manchester students who graduated last year.

The first-class honours graduate said his family had encouraged him 'each and every step of the way.'

The former Temasek Polytechnic student, who graduated in the top 10 per cent of his cohort, could have enrolled in any of the local universities.

He said he was attracted to the programme because of the repute of SIM and the University of Manchester.

The Manchester Business School was ranked in the top 15 in The Financial Times' 2009 Top European Schools poll.

Mr Chua said: 'Having the opportunity to enrol in the course without having to travel to the UK spurred my decision.'

However, Mr Chua admitted that there were sacrifices, like giving up leisure time during the weekends to focus on studying.

Now a settlements officer at KBC Bank NV, he said: 'My degree helped me to secure my current job.

'I was also given the opportunity to work in the settlements department even though I'd no prior relevant experience.'

Mr Chua said certain course topics, like financial markets, helped him at work as it touched on financial derivatives products.

His job involves providing back-office support for money market, foreign exchange and derivatives transactions.

Thanks to his degree, his career has a major boost.

Source: http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,201239,00.html?

Results of the "2009 Top 100 Sexiest Ladies" poll organized by Taiwan's FHM Magazine were recently unveiled. 34-year-old Taiwanese top model Lin Chi-ling came in top for the third year running. Taiwanese diva Jolin Tsai and Hollywood actress Megan Fox are in second and third place respectively.

The FHM poll, which was held from March 1 to April 20, entered its eighth year. Interestingly, members of Taiwanese girl group S.H.E, Ella and Selina, once made it to the first and second spots, but both dropped out of top 50 after the six weeks battle.

When the poll ended, the top three ladies from last year managed to defend their spots. Lin was crowned champ for the third time with 55,182 votes.
Her manager said on her behalf, "Thank you for your support. I will work harder in my movies and showcase all my sexy apparel selflessly."

The only singer in the top ten, Tsai is recognized as the trendsetter of the female fashion without revealling too much of her body. She expressed her gratitude for the public's votes but hoped that people can also show the same support her music career.

Just as you thought you’ve seen it all, along comes a place like Loof that makes you reassess your perceptions of what defines a cool club. With a concept that separates it from every other pea in the pod, Loof brings about a scene that is different and yet surprisingly non-threatening into a done-to-death industry. From its amazingly altitudinous location to its fresh approach, Loof is no fool when it comes to the alternative lifestyle.

What started out as a daring move for a fresh graduate, Loof proved to be the unexpected hit of this year. Securing the top floor of Odeon Towers, the al-fresco joint is a picture of avant garde serenity. With wooden flooring made exciting using random transparent spots, and trees standing prominently, this chill pad is all about going back into nature, but with a mod and playful exterior. While the temperature is highly dependent on the weather ( since it is after all, al-fresco), it’s filled with surprises, such as sunken seats and walls that tell a story, to make you forget the humidity. At least, for a while. However, rest assured that there is an air conditioned room behind, though it is much smaller than the rest. Alternatively, you can just take it like a man and mingle where the crowd is.

The crowd here is mostly made up of young executives, seeking to unwind. Nobody there expects to get wild and rowdy, like they do in most bars. You will see a lot of lounging around, while enjoying drinks and good conversations. This feeling is further perpetuated by the down-tempo, soul and funk music that is emitted through the speakers. A note-worthy mention is the bar’s support for the local arts scene. This, in return, makes it another hot spot for those in the entertainment profession. It‘s all about being quirky and open-minded. There is a certain aura of nirvana here that is just so disarmingly laid back.

Although newer than most, the drinks and food here can pack quite the punch. Signature drinks like the Loof Life and the Purple Turtle accentuate the perfect blend of their ingredients, with none overpowering the rest. If you’re more of a house pour guy than a cocktail fan, then you will not be disappointed either. (We hate bars who skim on their drinks too. If it was up to us, they’d be served with a fine!) And the Magic Mushrooms ( don’t get too excited. We checked. They’re clean) are so succulent that they are almost illegal.

In line with their laid back theme as well, the staff here are dressed in jeans and t-shirt, different from the norm of t shirt and pants. They’re young and hip and amazingly not the normal slackers you will expect from their age group. Attentive and polite, they serve as the perfect representatives of a place that works so hard at remaining blasé yet trendy.

Not surprisingly, this place has pulled out all the stops in making sure you get your much needed “I’m not thinking about work” moments. It’s a lifestyle that is addictive and almost mandatory. And it’s especially fun when it rains, cause they go into one-for-one madness ( although this only applies if it rains before 9). When it pours, they pour. And that’s fine enough in our books.

Rating: 3.8/5

(Extracted from: http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/singapore/nightlife/576/fiddling_on_the_loof.php)

WASHINGTON (AFP) - - The Conficker worm, believed to have burrowed into millions of computers around the world, has sent an encrypted data message to infected machines, according to a computer security firm.

Trend Micro said the purpose of the mysterious update, sent to other infected machines using peer-to-peer (P2P) file transfer software, was not immediately clear.

Ivan Macalintal, a Trend Micro advanced threats researcher, said Conficker began showing activity on Tuesday, nearly a week after the expected April 1 activation date that had computer security experts on alert around the world.

"As expected, the P2P communications of the Downad/Conficker botnet may have just been used to serve an update," Macalintal wrote in a post late Wednesday on the TrendLabs Malware blog. "The Conficker/Downad P2P communications is now running in full swing!"

Macalintal said the worm was connecting to MySpace.com, MSN.com, eBay.com, CNN.com and AOL.com to detect whether a host computer is connected to the Web.

After performing the test, it deletes any traces of itself in the infected machine, he said, adding that it is scheduled to stop running the test on May 3.

"It runs and deletes all traces, no files, no registries etc," he said.

The worm remains present on an infected machine, however, and could be activated at a later date.

Trend Micro is monitoring the worm on an infected computer as part of the Conficker Working Group of security experts.

A task force assembled by Microsoft has been working to stamp out Conficker, also referred to as DownAdUp, and the software colossus has placed a bounty of 250,000 dollars on the heads of those responsible for the threat.

The worm, a self-replicating program, takes advantage of networks or computers that haven't kept up to date with security patches for Windows.

It can infect machines from the Internet or by hiding on USB memory sticks carrying data from one computer to another.

Conficker could be triggered to steal data or turn control of infected computers over to hackers amassing "zombie" machines into "botnet" armies.

Microsoft has modified its free Malicious Software Removal Tool to detect and remove Conficker. Security firms, including Trend Micro, Symantec and F-Secure, provide Conficker removal services at their websites.

The tell-tale signs that a computer is infected includes the worm blocking efforts to connect with websites of security firms providing online tools for removing the virus.

She is back =)

MELBOURNE - Caught Twittering or on Facebook at work? It'll make you a better employee, according to an Australian study that shows surfing the Internet for fun during office hours increases productivity.

Study author Brent Coker, from the department of management and marketing, said "workplace Internet leisure browsing," or WILB, helped to sharpened workers' concentration.

"People need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration," Coker said on the university's website

"Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf of the Internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a days' work, and as a result, increased productivity," he said.

According to the study of 300 workers, 70 percent of people who use the Internet at work engage in WILB.

Among the most popular WILB activities are searching for information about products, reading online news sites, playing online games and watching videos on YouTube.

"Firms spend millions on software to block their employees from watching videos, using social networking sites or shopping online under the pretence that it costs millions in lost productivity," said Coker. "That's not always the case."

However, Coker said the study looked at people who browsed in moderation, or were on the Internet for less than 20 percent of their total time in the office.

"Those who behave with Internet addiction tendencies will have a lower productivity than those without," he said.

SINGAPORE : Thousands of people across Singapore observed Earth Hour on Saturday, as individuals at home and organisations switched off their lights for an hour.

Many parts of Singapore were plunged into darkness, as the lights went off at 8.30pm Singapore time, and remained off until 9.30pm.

Earth Hour is a global initiative by the World Wide Fund for Nature to raise awareness of climate change. It is the second year that Earth Hour is being observed in Singapore.

Various hotels across the Marina Bay area switched off their lights at 8.30pm sharp.

Even the Singapore Flyer took part in observing Earth Hour this year.

The Fullerton Hotel dimmed its lights at 8.30pm sharp, while over at Raffles Place, the colourful lights outlining the Maybank building were switched off as well.

Downtown at Orchard Road, shopping malls also joined in to play their part in raising awareness of global warming and climate change.

More than 10,000 people pledged to take part in Earth Hour this year, and more than 450 businesses also said they would switch off their lights.

Earlier, on Saturday evening, hundreds of people gathered at the Esplanade Park for a picnic. Some of them told Channel NewsAsia that they were there to show support for Earth Hour, while others just wanted to have some fun.

Singapore is of one of the many countries in Asia that have joined the world in switching off its lights for 60 minutes. Altogether, some 83 countries are expected to observe Earth Hour this year. — CNA/ms

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia with 2.2 million homes and businesses turning their lights off for one whole hour. Only a year later and this event had become a global sustainability movement with up to 100 million people across 35 countries participating. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

In 2009, at 8.30pm on March 28, we are asking people across the world to turn off their lights and join together in creating the vital conversation about the future of our precious planet. Earth Hour is a message of hope and a message of action. Everyone can make a difference.

It’s as simple as a flick of the switch. Join us for Earth Hour 2009.

SINGAPORE: Singapore is one of the most expensive cities in the world, according to the latest survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, which shows the city—state moving up five positions to 10th place.

This means Singapore is now Asia’s third most expensive city to live in.

Claiming the top seat worldwide is Tokyo, followed by Osaka — no thanks to the stronger yen.

But Asia is also home to the least expensive cities, with Manila and Mumbai near the bottom of the list.

Others include New Delhi and Kathmandu.

The Economist says the relative cost of living depends on two factors — local prices and exchange rates.

And the global economic crisis has also led to some dramatic results.

Iceland’s Reykjavik was the fifth most expensive city last year.

Now, using February exchange rates, it has fallen to 67th place.