Saturday, April 23, 2011

Tricubes clears the air over Malaysian email project

KUALA LUMPUR: TRICUBES BHD [] has cleared the air over its appointment to undertake the concept of a 'Malaysian' email project, which inadvertently drawn some flak despite that it is a private-sector funded project.

Tricubes said late Friday, April 22 that it was chosen because of its track record in the design, development, and marketing of information TECHNOLOGY [] solutions to the government and financial sectors since 1997.

'With current clients in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Europe, Tricubes devices are now installed in over 170 organisations,' it said.

The ACE Market company said as a market leader in Enterprise Mobility and Identity Authentication solutions, Tricubes has a full suite of enterprise offerings as well as expertise in identity management.

'Our technology proposal for the MyEmail project combines Tricubes' software technology, namely M2E (mobile to enterprise middleware) and Fusion (identity management middleware), with world-class cloud computing infrastructure from Microsoft,' it said.

To recap, Tricubes had on Tuesday appointed to implement the 1Malaysia Email project'' which would involve RM50 million in investment. It is one of seven new projects under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).

The investment also includes the development of a web portal as a one-stop centre for government services, providing value-added services such as social networking, checking bills online and payments.

Tricubes said under the scheme, Malaysians aged 18 and above will each be assigned a unique e-mail account to receive statements, bills and notices.

This would allow direct and secure communication between Malaysians and the government, and enhance the delivery of government services to consumers and businesses alike.

'We understand Tricubes' proposal met or surpassed the benchmarks set by the EPP team. It also did not require any funding or financial guarantees from the government,' it said.

Tricubes explained the concept of a 'Malaysian' email project was mooted by industry members during the NKEA Communications Content and Infrastructure (CCI) Lab organised by PEMANDU under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) in June 2010.

The company said the 'Malaysian Email' would be the digital channel of communication between the Government and the users. 'Malaysian Email' means the service is operated and hosted by a Malaysian company.

On the sources of revenue, it said with the decline of physical mail traffic, there is substantial growth in digital mails.

'Our base service will be the email services at no cost to users while our revenue sources will come from the value-added services (VAS), which will be introduced in phases,' it said.

Herewith is the list of frequently asked questions relating to the 1Malaysia Email project from Tricubes:

What is the 1Malaysia Email project?

The concept of a 'Malaysian' email project was mooted by industry members during the NKEA Communications Content and Infrastructure (CCI) Lab organised by PEMANDU under the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) in June 2010. This 'Malaysian Email' would be the digital channel of communication between the Government and the users. 'Malaysian Email' means the service is operated and hosted by a Malaysian company.

The aspiration is for each Malaysian aged 18 and above to have access to a secured communication channel to government e-services on Internet-enabled devices with a single sign-on user ID.

2. What is the domain email address?

The registered and approved domain email address will be This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

3. What are the benefits of having a MyEmail account?

Users will initially be able to use this account to receive government notices such as income tax assessment, driving license renewal and quit rent reminders as well as Employee Provident Fund statements and notices of summons. This is not an exhaustive list of services and more can potentially be offered to users in the future.

4. How do I know that my MyEmail account will be secure?

The myemail.my account has an authentication service which includes a MyKad-based authentication service layer. This ensures that the government notices reach the correct recipients.

5. How is this MyEmail project going to be funded?

The MyEmail project is a Private Funding Initiative (PFI) and therefore, private-sector funded. The project sits within the ETP, which is government-facilitated and private-sector driven.

6. How much is the government's investment in this project?

This government is neither funding nor underwriting this project. This is a 100 per cent privately-funded project.

7. How did the government select the company for this project?

The foundation of the ETP is private sector-led investment. The concept of the MyEmail project was mooted in the ETP Lab in June 2010, making the idea non-exclusive and open. Any interested private party was free to submit its proposal to the government.

Proposals submitted are assessed by Entry Point Project (EPP) teams, to ensure only sustainable and implementable business models, are supported. In this case, the team for the e-government EPP comprised MAMPU and GITN Sdn Bhd. Every proposal is assessed on similar criteria.

8. Why was only one company/email provider selected for this project?

While there were a number of proposals submitted, we understand the selection was made based on a set of criteria that included best-in-practice technology, business model and the experience, and capabilities of the company. A major consideration during the evaluation was also the need to ensure security, confidentiality and authentication of the user. Based on these criteria, we understand that Tricubes met or surpassed these benchmarks.

9. Why was Tricubes Berhad selected for this project?

Tricubes has been involved in the design, development, and marketing of information technology solutions to the government and financial sectors since 1997. With current clients in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Europe, Tricubes devices are now installed in over 170 organisations.

As a market leader in Enterprise Mobility and Identity Authentication solutions, Tricubes has a full suite of enterprise offerings as well as expertise in identity management. Our technology proposal for the MyEmail project combines Tricubes' software technology, namely M2E (mobile to enterprise middleware) and Fusion (identity management middleware), with world-class cloud computing infrastructure from Microsoft.

We understand Tricubes' proposal met or surpassed the benchmarks set by the EPP team. It also did not require any funding or financial guarantees from the government.

10. How will Tricubes generate revenue from this project?

With the decline of physical mail traffic, there is substantial growth in digital mails. Our base service will be the email services at no cost to users while our revenue sources will come from the value-added services (VAS), which will be introduced in phases.

They include:

- Bill and notice presentment. This is expected to give the government savings on postal and printing costs of up to 50 per cent.

- Job boards and online registration to government agencies that currently use e-forms.

- Advertising revenue

- Online marketplace

11. Why did Tricubes drop into GN3 status?

Tricubes had invested heavily in Research & Development, which has a long gestation period, and is well on the way to generate returns to recoup its investment.

12. How can a company with a GN3 rating by Bursa be selected?

A GN3 company is allowed by Bursa Malaysia to continue carrying out its business activities. In order to remain listed, the GN3 company has to regularise its financial standing. Tricubes has achieved its first milestone in its regularisation plan set by Bursa Malaysia, with the appointment of its sponsor, M&A Securities Sdn Bhd in January 2011. The sponsor is expected to submit the company's regularisation plan to Bursa Malaysia and obtain its approval no later than 29 October 2011.

The company selected for this project had to show its ability to generate funding for this project, which Tricubes met. The evaluation team had met with Bursa Malaysia to clarify Tricubes' GN3 status prior to making its final selection.

13. How will the government measure the success of the MyEmail project?

The MyEmail project has two clear KPIs and targets, as discussed and agreed upon at the NKEA Labs in 2010. These are:

- 2015: 100% of Malaysians aged 18 and above to subscribe to this email.

- 2020: 50% of the subscribers use value added services (VAS) to promote Gross National Income (GNI).

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14. Why did the government say that this was a voluntary process when Tricubes has a KPI of 100% of Malaysians aged 18 and above by 2015?

Malaysians aged 18 and above can subscribe to the email voluntarily. However, any project, public or private, must have KPIs and targets for performance monitoring and accountability.

Hence, Tricubes adopted the KPIs and targets proposed by the NKEA Communications Content and Infrastructure Lab under the ETP. It does not mean that Malaysians will be assigned to the service.

15. Why would anyone then need a specific secure email to communicate with the government?

Users with the MyEmail account will be receiving sensitive personal information contained in their income tax returns, Employee Provident Fund statements, notices of summons and driving license renewals as well as quit rent payments.

The MyEmail account, which includes a MyKad-based authentication service layer, ensures that the government notices reach the correct recipients and reduces incidence of compromised personal information.

16. What is the government's role in this project?

The government acts as a facilitator for certain information and processes such as data validation from agencies such as the National Registration Department. To ensure the success of the EPP, the government will also constantly monitor the progress of the project.

17. How is Tricubes going to fund this project?

Tricubes' total investment over the next 10 years will be approximately RM50 million. Our initial investment is estimated to be at RM5.3 million. This includes infrastructure costs for hardware and software, maintenance and raising awareness of the project. We have secured initial financing through a combination of internally generated funds and borrowings. We expect to reinvest revenue received from the project to ensure sustainability.

18. Can the government monitor my MyEmail account?

No. MyEmail will provide you with the option to enhance the security of your entire session with data encryption. Tricubes and Microsoft are working closely to make sure the integrity and confidentiality of the users are ensured.

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