WebSite Malaysia.Net

By JO TIMBUONG
bytz@thestar.com.my

Telecommunications company Maxis Bhd has launched its Maxis Cloud service, making it the latest player in the cloud-computing marketplace.

Maxis is offering infrastructure-as-a-service, where businesses can rent computing resources from the telco from RM900 a month.

At the launch, Maxis senior vice-president of business services Fitri Abdullah said the company's latest offering is designed to support the growing computing needs of Malaysian businesses.

"We've designed Maxis Cloud to enable businesses with better IT solutions and offer tools for skilled software developers to develop more cloud solutions," he said.

Maxis invested about RM7mil and spent about seven months building the system.

Through a collaboration with Telekom Malaysia (TM), Maxis Cloud will offer its services to areas covered by TM's Unifi High Speed Broadband Service.

Maxis is also looking into increasing the number of cloud applications by working with various agencies, including the Multimedia Development Corp (MDeC), which is in charge of the country MSC Malaysia initiative.

Such collaborations are also aimed at developing cloud applications to promote the adoption of cloud-computing services in the country.

Maxis and MDeC plan to select talented independent software vendors to develop such ­applications. They will also provide market and technology insights, as well as funding, to these developers to get their products off the ground.

Both parties will also be developing a framework and standards for the overall development of the Malaysian cloud industry.

The MSC Malaysia initiative is tasked with developing the nation's knowledge-based economy.