CYBERJAYA- A HAVEN FOR ICT INDUSTRY

MSC Malaysia is the country’s most concerted initiative for the global information and communications technology (ICT) industry. Launched in 1996, MSC Malaysia was mooted as the Government recognized the need to drive the economy through technology and high value-added economic activities; and that information technology (IT) and multimedia were the two platforms that presented Malaysia the best opportunities to Malaysia’s aspirations to become a knowledge-based economy.

Today, Malaysia is globally the third most important destination for foreign direct investments (FDI) after India and China, according to AT Kearney’s 2007 Global Services Location Index. 

At the forefront of this initiative is Cyberjaya, the nucleus of MSC Malaysia and the preferred address for knowledge-based and ICT companies. Malaysia’s first intelligent city, Cyberjaya was launched in 1997 to support and augment the MSC Malaysia initiative.

The city saw a surge in growth between the period from July 2006 to July 2008, with 172 companies moving to Cyberjaya, an increase of 57%from the period between 1998 to June 2006. The city today hosts in total 474 companies, 30 of them multinationals and 444 home-grown companies.

Cyberjaya’s Attractive Features

The intelligent city is strategically located at the centre of Klang Valley, just 20 minutes from Kuala Lumpur via a dedicated highway and 25 minutes from KLIA.  Planned as a low-density urban area, it is spread over 7,128 acres of freehold land, offering ample room to live, study, work and play. Enterprise, Commercial, Mixed Developments and Green areas are balanced and designed with room to grow.

Spearheading the city’s development is Cyberview Sdn. Bhd. Which, as landowner and community builder, drives the creation of an environment that makes Cyberjaya a friendly and attractive destination.  

Cyberview offers potential investors facilities to suit their business needs, be they incubator centres, single-tenanted or multi-tenanted buildings; and even enterprise land in sizes tailored to requirement.   Examples of this customer-centric focus are clear from the sleek, feature-filled yet compact buildings hosting HSBC, Dell and DHL to the sprawling campuses designed for IT giants Hewlett-Packard and Satyam. 

The Government has also introduced the Industrial Building Allowance (IBA) incentive, which enables building owners in Cyberjaya to recoup their building costs within 10 years of completion. On top of that, the city features several unique initiatives in addition to ICT, business support services and physical infrastructure that has attracted numerous companies.

The initiatives, introduced by Cyberview Sdn Bhd, include the 24-hour Cyberjaya Dedicated Transportation System (DTS), which is used to ferry in employees living outside Cyberjaya to (and from) work; and is complemented by an intra-city “Park and Ride” free shuttle bus network. The system not only reduces reliance on personal transport but also lowers the cost of doing business for employers. The excellent infrastructure, coupled with congestion-free roads, makes driving in Cyberjaya a breeze.

Cyberjaya’s supporting infrastructure is incomparable to other business and economic zones. The availability of fibre-optic backbone network supported by multiple service providers to meet the city’s high-capacity needs is another plus point that has influenced many companies to pick Cyberjaya as their base of operations.

Cyberview also believes in keeping an open, two-way communications with businesses; and has initiated the Outreach Programme with multinational and local corporations to enable parties to express their views and suggestions to make their operations in Cyberjaya remain seamless and efficient.

SME Development

Aside from the readily-recognisable industry stars, Cyberjaya is also a preferred address for SMEs and other businesses.  There are now 181 SMEs in Cyberjaya today, all based at the SME Technopreneur Centre cluster. The SMEs are involved in creative multimedia, shared services, outsourcing, software development and Internet-based businesses.

Cyberview had established the SME Technopreneur Centres I and II in 2005 and 2007 respectively in Cyberjaya as a means to respond and complement the Malaysian Government’s initiative to support the development of SMEs. This sector is seen as one of the growth catalysts for the nation.

To complement SME Technopreneur Centre cluster, Cyberview established the Resource Support Services Centre (RSSC) to assist SMEs byproviding them with an enabling and helping them to strive in competitive market environments. This is done by providing services that include programmes to nurture SME technopreneurs to develop their businesses, and other support services including business plan development, training and development, marketing and consulting, business information and resources and funding access facilitation services.

The SME buildings in the cluster come equipped with value-added features, such as a helpdesk, meeting rooms, board rooms, seminar rooms, reading lounges, gymnasiums, data centres, free open-space parking and Internet hotspot, plus a 24-hour security system complete with  CCTV monitoring system.

The success of the two SME Technopreneur Centre buildings has prompted Cyberview to plan for the construction of the third SME Technopreneur building, which is expected to be ready in 2010. The new building will be built as part of Knowledge Workers’ Development Institute (KWDI) initiative.

Cyberjaya’s Enabling Eco-system

After 11 years in existence, Cyberjaya today has experienced many spurts of growth that help create its very own unique ecosystem. Its organic growth has helped shape Cyberjaya and its community into what it is today; and Cyberjaya in the present day has become the preferred address for businesses and individuals.

There is a complete educational eco-system in place, covering pre-school to tertiary education. Quality education in Cyberjaya will further be augmented when an international school starts its operations in 2010.

The tertiary learning institutions in Cyberjaya, Multimedia University and Limkokwing University of Creative Technology are a valuable source ofcreative and technology-based talents for companies while offering unparalleled exposure opportunities for students who are seeking experience in the ICT and the creative industry, while the Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences was founded in line with the Government’s aspiration to further improve the healthcare of Malaysians through state-of-the-art educational technology and training in medical sciences.

Further complementing the foundational education provided by the local learning institutions is the Knowledge Workers’ Development Institute (KWDI), which will debut in the third quarter of 2009 to provide industry specialist knowledge to graduates. This will assist in ensuring that the industry continuously has knowledge workers with current and industry relevant learning.

Living and Relaxing in Cyberjaya

Cyberjaya is more than just an IT and work-driven city. While it features inimitable initiatives to facilitate the working lives of k-workers and businesses to operate in Cyberjaya, the city has also attracted people who want to make Cyberjaya their home. Cyberjaya offers homes for K-workers that are designed with safety, comfort and affordability in mind. There are also developers who offer homes catering to a much wider range of budgets and lifestyle.

For those living, studying and working in Cyberjaya, there are always opportunities to participate in the city’s active and lively year-round community calendar that promises a little bit of something for all walks of life. Being an active community builder whose role among others is to ensure that Cyberjaya remains a sustainable development, Cyberview has established the Kelab Komuniti Taman Tasik Cyberjaya in 2007 to ensure that Cyberjaya community has a place to relax and unwind after a hard day’s work. The clubhouse, located within the vicinity of the Cyberjaya Lake Gardens, is a hive of activity in the evenings, where the Cyberjaya community converge there to partake in various sporting and leisure activities.

The growing population of Cyberjaya boasts a vibrant mix of local and international culturesk and this is reflected in the myriad of culinarydelights offered in this city.

Another popular spot in Cyberjaya for those who wish to get away from it all is the exclusive Cyberview Lodge Resort and Spa, which boasts the tropical settings that would take guests far away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

What’s Next in Cyberjaya

Come 2009, Cyberjaya expects to see yet another series of exciting developments coming its way. A touch of glamour and movie magic is expected to take off in October 2009 when KRU Studios, one of the leading media and entertainment agencies in this region, moves its headquarters to Cyberjaya. This relocation is expected to open up more opportunities for the local creative content and multimedia industry.

Cyberview is confident that despite the current dampening of global economic conditions, it will see a 10% increase from the present 474 of companies moving into Cyberjaya.

Cyberview, together with the other stakeholders of Cyberjaya, is aggressively marketing the city to potential local and foreign investors; and on its part, the innovative community builder will continue to improve, enhance and introduce initiatives that will make Cyberjaya the preferred location to live, study, work and play.

ABOUT CYBERVIEW SDN BHD

Cyberview Sdn Bhd is the landowner of Cyberjaya and the entity mandated by the Government to spearhead development of Cyberjaya. Being an active and innovative community builder, Cyberview plays an important role in developing Cyberjaya to become more than just a city. Cyberview is aggressively promoting Cyberjaya as the preferred destination to live, study, work and play in.

Managing Director, Redza Rafiq was awarded the Outstanding Entrepreneur Award at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards (APEA) 2008 recently and back in June, Cyberview picked up The BrandLaureate Award under the Corporate Branding category for Best Brand in National ICT Hub. Cyberview was recently awarded Technology Business Review ASEAN Awards 2008 for Excellence in Government-Delivery Services for IT Infrastructure and Land Development.

Articles from City University College