Week in Review: From MSTB to MDEC, software testing ecosystem set to develop further

• Greater resources from MDEC will help accelerate Malaysia’s software testing ambitions
• iPrice Group report on SEA e-commerce finds desktop preferred platform in M’sia, Indonesia

UNDOUBTEDLY some areas in technology are more interesting than others and within the umbrella term of technology, digital and e-commerce developments and trends are closely followed by readers. And that is reflected in the news DNA covers as well.

Even this week, we had a number of articles on e-commerce with two making it as our Editor’s Picks. And even the world of theatre is going digital – not online, as the term usually means on DNA but via digital screens and 3-D production mapping with one of the most progressive stars of the Malaysian theatre scene, Tiara Jacquelina, Chief dream-maker of the Enfiniti Group and director of OlaBola the Musical, pushing the envelope here.

“I hope [people in the industry] can at least be open to the ideas of how tech can support their work,” she says. And even if the industry is slow to adapt, I am betting Tiara will likely be the first artist to incorporate mixed reality into a future play of hers. And that’s exciting when technology moves beyond the sphere of business and personal use into other areas of life.

And speaking of exciting, I also excited over the developments in the Malaysian software testing ecosystem where 2018 sees the handover of responsibility to further grow the Malaysian software testing ecosystem. The Malaysian Software Testing Board or MSTB, after dedicating nine years to painstakingly build the foundation blocks of a software testing ecosystem, is handing over the task to grow and strengthen this ecosystem by passing on the Malaysian Software Testing Hub (MSTH) programme to Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).

According to Mastura Abu Samah, president of MSTB, it is time for an appropriate agency such as MDEC, which has the muscle to build on the foundation and carry the torch. “The taking over by MDEC is a positive move as MDEC could be more effective in leveraging the support of stakeholders in general and other agencies, in particular,” she says.

Indeed just from a footprint point of view, MSTB has around 50 people while MDEC has over 300 staff and is much more involved in various digital initiatives versus the much tighter focus of the MSTB.

I also liked the fact that Mastura says MSTB will be supporting MDEC when needed. This is the type of inter-agency cooperation that is needed for Malaysia to grow and develop its digital ecosystem. And while software testing is not the most exciting of areas under technology, I am excited to see how MDEC further builds on the great work done by the tireless Mastura and the MSTB which will return to its ‘charted role’ of a certifying body in the disciplines relevant to Software Quality Assurance.   

Moving on to the e-commerce space, I think you will find it interesting that a recent report from iPrice Group, a Malaysian-based Southeast Asian focused online price comparison site, reveals that in both Indonesia and Malaysia, the desktop is still the preferred platform for users to make their e-commerce purchases.

There are some interesting data points in the research that will be useful for readers to keep and refer to. You can read the article from our Indonesian writer, Yunnie Marzuki, here and the Malaysian focused data here.

And with that, I hope your weekend has been restful and I wish you a productive week ahead.

Editor’s Picks:

Focus on strengthening software testing ecosystem 

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Indonesian online shoppers browse on mobile apps but shop via desktops: iPrice Group

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