Business lessons from the Pokémon Go phenomenon

(This article is also published in Computerworld Hong Kong on August 1, 2016)

Image source: Internet

Hong Kong appears to be invaded by Pokémon Go players. We’ll no doubt be bumping into avid players all over the place. In case you’ve been entirely cut off from news this month, Pokémon Go is a mobile game app, in which players move around in the real world looking for digital creatures overlaid on the streets around them.

Less than two weeks after the initial release, Pokémon Go has become the most successful mobile game ever. It is also generating newspaper headlines about users and their experiences on a daily basis. The share price of Nintendo – which originated the Pokémon characters back in the ‘90s but is just a part owner of the app – was doubled. But it has fallen back as in reality, its profits from the game will be limited.

There is much more in this groundbreaking game. Such application and massive acceptance in augmented reality is expected to trigger a wave of adoption in other areas. Meanwhile, however, Pokémon Go’s massive adoption has been accompanied by reports of server overloads, players being locked out and rumors of security issues.

While details have not been disclosed, it seems pretty clear that such issues have delayed the game’s rollout, especially to Japan and other game-crazy Asian markets, slowing down revenue generation. Simply put, it appears that the operation team was unprepared for the success of Pokémon Go.

How the cloud can transform our cityscapes

(This article is also published in Computerworld Hong Kong on Nov 3, 2015)

Cloud computing is a model for enabling ubiquitous, convenient, on-demand access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources … and the creation of visual art.

Art? Yes, art … honestly, it’s true. If you think the cloud is just about enterprise agility and transformation, think again. Over the last year the Urban Art Cloud – a travelling art experience installation – has been engaging people and transforming cityscapes.

Is your public cloud ready for a security audit?

Ask any CIO, and their number one concern for cloud is data security. IDC, in their Best Practices for Cloud Computing Adoption white paper, agrees.

That is because data has become an unmovable resource, said Brian Groen, Cloud Business Executive, IBM Hong Kong. “Where you place your data and who can access it are critical,” he added.

Because of this many are choosing hybrid clouds. These allow companies to keep their data within their private clouds or data center for security and control, while taking advantage of public cloud infrastructure or service providers to process it externally.