Mr Sunny Lee
President, Hong Kong Computer Society


Mr Francis Ho, JP
Permanent Secretary,
Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau,
Government of the HKSAR


Professor Lawrence Lau
Chairman of Panel of Judges,
Vice-Chancellor, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Mrs Agnes Mak, JP
Chairman, Organizing Committee
 
 
Mr Sunny Lee
President, Hong Kong Computer Society
The impact of information technology on Hong Kong continues to be tremendous, and some of the benefits IT brings to the community can be glimpsed from the winning entries of this year's IT Excellence Awards.

It is nice to see that the Awards give a good flavour of the scope and importance that IT has on all our lives these days. IT professionals in Hong Kong are
hard - working yet innovative, creative yet realistic. They are well-grounded and well-rounded and know what our society needs to progress and develop at the IT level.

The IT Excellence Aw a rds not only showcase some of the finest IT products and applications brought to market but also pay tribute to our worthy participants. Their vision has brought success, and I hope this will encourage many others to take part in the future.

Through these awards, we are acting as a window to the very best that Hong Kong's IT industry has to offer the world - long may this continue!

Congratulations, winners, on your well-deserved achievement!
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Mr Francis Ho, JP
Permanent Secretary,
Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau, Government of HKSAR
IT and its application in business, education, e-government and indeed our daily life are largely taken for granted by the community. However, we should keep
reminding ourselves of the significance of information technology as a main driver for product and service innovation and a key contributor to productivity gains and
process transformation. In what is now called the Information Age, IT has to live up to its promises in knowledge and information distribution and dissemination for the progress of society. The notion and practice of excellence in the mastery and application of information technology is therefore vital.

I congratulate the Hong Kong Computer Society for the successful organization of the 7th IT Excellence Awards. It is not an enviable endeavour to be able to keep up with the rapid technological and market changes typical of the IT sector and maintain the relevance and respectability of the Awards amidst such changes. The Hong Kong Computer Society has again risen to the challenge. Well done!
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Professor Lawrence Lau
Chairman of Panel of Judges,
Vice-Chancellor, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
For the past seven years, the IT Excellence Aw a rds have provided a pro g ressive benchmark for the IT field in Hong Kong. I am delighted to have had the opportunity
of chairing the Panel of Judges for this edition and of observing and commenting on the work of so many talented individuals and teams.

The scheme's organizers, the Hong Kong Computer Society, received a total of 83 entries. In the two main categories - products and applications - we were looking for solid evidence of the following five criteria: functionality, innovation, market performance, cost perf o rmance and societal impact. These five factors, which the
scheme's proponents settled on when the scheme was first announced back in 1998, continue to be just as relevant today, despite many rapid advances in the field.

While heartily congratulating the winners I would also commend all the entrants for their spirited support, and call on yet more entrants to step forward in the future. A steadfast search for IT excellence will itself have a favourable societal impact and will help to raise Hong Kong's image, particularly as a place known for innovation, cost-effectiveness and a genuine understanding of market needs.

May I finally commend the Society and all those involved in any way with this scheme for their vision and their tenacity in ensuring that the vision continues.
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Mrs Agnes Mak, JP
Chairman, Organizing Committee
I am delighted to welcome you all to the seventh edition of the IT Excellence Awards.

The important contribution that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make to Hong Kong's economy is well reflected by the fact that we receive the highest number of entries from this sector, but these are overwhelmingly on the product side. I would thus
like to encourage SMEs to explore the direct benefits that applications can bring to even modest operations.

Each year builds on the successes of previous years, and I am particularly pleased to report that this edition has seen more than 300 per cent increase in entries for projects mounted by post-secondary students. As you will see, the judges and assessors wrote most encouragingly about the winning entries in this new category.

I would like to thank to the panel of judges and the assessors. They bring to their task a massive and varied skill set, in both technical and business areas, but their expert evaluations are always coloured by a sense of the softer values that make IT such a worthwhile and engaging discipline.

Finally, I am grateful to my colleagues on the Organizing Committee and to the many organizations and other individuals who have contributed their talents and resources to this year's Awards. Their experience and dedication, and the support of past winners, continues to be a great source of strength.
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