A big byte of Brunei's software sector
Saturday, September 15, 2007
SOFTWARE developer BiTEX Sdn Bhd has never gone through the process of obtaining a work permit for any of its employees.
Brunei's software industry may still be in its infancy stage, but the sultanate has an abundance of manpower capable of meeting the demands of a sophisticated profession, so much so that the firm sees it fit to rely exclusively on local talent.
After all, going by the founder's vision, the firm's success will be measured in part by its contribution to the Brunei government's objective of developing further its stock of skilled professionals.
BiTEX is a Bruneian-owned and -managed company that develops software and offers training courses in computer programming and other related courses.
"The key difference is that everyone here is Bruneian," said BiTEX founder and CEO Mohd Mahathir Abdullah. "You won't see any Indians or Filipinos running the place (unlike) some companies which are owned by locals (but) are not totally managed by Bruneians."
"We're doing this in line with the national vision of promoting local human resources. We want to transform the local economy and create 'exportable' Bruneians," added Mohd Mahathir.
Helping develop the sultanate's ranks of software developers, however, is not a breeze like it has been for many other countries that have already flexed their technological muscles.
"The software industry is very new in Brunei," said Mohd Mahathir. "A lot of people from university or maktab (colleges) don't do programming, they find it tedious. They prefer to do things like networking."
He added: "Programming is like a language, you must love it, but you'd find Bruneians who shun this field because people don't want to do something unless they see big rewards."
BiTEX prides itself with having trained a thousand students.
"We've had success stories, too. One of them is now my partner and technical educator and one is a service provider for a computer lab in Sinaut, Tutong," Mohd Mahathir said.
The company plans to strengthen its international base.
BiTEX is "very strong in Sabah and Sarawak and eventually we'll go international". He did not elaborate on the firm's presence in these neighbouring states.
He added that BiTEX is a local company with a global outreach and has collaborations with countries like China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam."I see only one way for Brunei. You have to go global or overseas. But of course the Brunei government is doing a lot to create an environment for Bruneians to go global," said Mohd Mahathir.
He has only one regret with BiTEX. "My only regret is I didn't start earlier because when you do what you love, you can't stop working. I develop programmes and products myself. I love technology." The Brunei Times
Brunei's software industry may still be in its infancy stage, but the sultanate has an abundance of manpower capable of meeting the demands of a sophisticated profession, so much so that the firm sees it fit to rely exclusively on local talent.
After all, going by the founder's vision, the firm's success will be measured in part by its contribution to the Brunei government's objective of developing further its stock of skilled professionals.
BiTEX is a Bruneian-owned and -managed company that develops software and offers training courses in computer programming and other related courses.
"The key difference is that everyone here is Bruneian," said BiTEX founder and CEO Mohd Mahathir Abdullah. "You won't see any Indians or Filipinos running the place (unlike) some companies which are owned by locals (but) are not totally managed by Bruneians."
"We're doing this in line with the national vision of promoting local human resources. We want to transform the local economy and create 'exportable' Bruneians," added Mohd Mahathir.
Helping develop the sultanate's ranks of software developers, however, is not a breeze like it has been for many other countries that have already flexed their technological muscles.
"The software industry is very new in Brunei," said Mohd Mahathir. "A lot of people from university or maktab (colleges) don't do programming, they find it tedious. They prefer to do things like networking."
He added: "Programming is like a language, you must love it, but you'd find Bruneians who shun this field because people don't want to do something unless they see big rewards."
BiTEX prides itself with having trained a thousand students.
"We've had success stories, too. One of them is now my partner and technical educator and one is a service provider for a computer lab in Sinaut, Tutong," Mohd Mahathir said.
The company plans to strengthen its international base.
BiTEX is "very strong in Sabah and Sarawak and eventually we'll go international". He did not elaborate on the firm's presence in these neighbouring states.
He added that BiTEX is a local company with a global outreach and has collaborations with countries like China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam."I see only one way for Brunei. You have to go global or overseas. But of course the Brunei government is doing a lot to create an environment for Bruneians to go global," said Mohd Mahathir.
He has only one regret with BiTEX. "My only regret is I didn't start earlier because when you do what you love, you can't stop working. I develop programmes and products myself. I love technology." The Brunei Times
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