Cloud Begins with Me

Dr Ganesh Neelakanta Lyer

Dr Ganesh Neelakanta Lyer is a Lecturer in in the Department of Computer Science, National University of Singapore. Prior to this, he worked as a lead DevOps engineer at Salesforce.com. He had also served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, School of Engineering, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore. He has received his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Engineering (University first rank) from Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India in 2004 and Masters and PhD degrees from National University of Singapore in 2008 and 2012 respectively. He brings in a decade of industry experience in various companies including Sasken Communication Technologies, NXP semiconductors and Progress software. He has handled several roles in the software industry including QA Architect, Technical Support Manager, Engineering development and Technology Evangelist.

He has strong inclination towards Game Theory. He applies game theory for handling conflicts, enforcing cooperation and for multi-agent systems. His technical knowledge and experience are in various areas including Cloud/Edge/Fog Computing Paradigms (including cloud platforms, containers and Kubernetes), Computer Networks, Software Engineering practices (Agile) and Quality Analysis, Economic models (Game Theoretic principles) and current day practices on cloud-based enterprise architectures, Machine Learning and technology for traditional Indian dance (such as Kathakali) popularization. His mathematical interests include game theory, graph theory, optimization principles etc. Over the past several years he has acquired practical knowledge and experience in various cutting-edge software engineering methodologies including Agile framework and has experience formulating and implementing various software engineering principles using Agile for large and small product development teams.

Dr. Iyer is active in doing practical industry-oriented research on the above topics of his interest. He also aspires to do research on technological innovations to popularize traditional classical arts such as Kathakali and Koodiyattam.

He has published two book chapters in the “Encyclopaedia for Cloud Computing” in 2016 in addition to several book chapters, journals and conference publications. Dr. Iyer has delivered several practical workshops and talks on various cutting-edge technology topics in many academic and industry events in several countries including USA, Europe, Australia and Asia. Many of these were on the contributions made by him in his industry engagement for software quality analysis with current day software engineering principles such as Agile for application development involving cloud platforms, mobile platforms and IoT based systems.

Dr. Iyer is an IEEE Senior Member. He has been a reviewer of many internationals Journals including IEEE Transactions on Computers, IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems and several international conferences. He was also the program chair for several international conferences including ICCCI and ICIWE.

Dr. Iyer has strong teaching skills and boundless passion for teaching. He was a visiting faculty at IIIT-H (International Institute of Information Technology Hyderabad), and has been teaching various subjects including “Game Theory for Computer Science”, “Computer Networks”, “Advanced Computer Networks” and “Scripting and Computer environments” for which, he has framed the syllabus, developed the materials and references, structured the grading scheme and formulated continuous assessment strategies. Further, he was a member of Board of Studies at JNTU-H (a premium university in India) where he participates in framing the syllabus for the university’s upcoming academic year.

He is also an expert in performing Kathakali, a traditional Indian dance. He has composed a story in Kathakali and he spends a considerable amount of his personal time to uplift this traditional art by organizing Kathakali performances, workshops and demonstrations and performance by himself. He has also composed a Kathakali story “Sri Mookambika Mahathmyam” which has been staged in multiple venues in India.

Mr Chris Liu

Mr Chris Liu is a cloud computing and cyber security expert. With the passion of cloud computing and security, he has helped many enterprises in the region to build up a more secure and robust IT infrastructure. Currently he is working at a world leading cloud security company as solution architect for ASEAN and GCR region.

He is CCIE Emeritus, holding CISSP, Azure Solution Architect Experts and other renowned certifications in the industry.

Chris graduated from Telecom ParisTech and Tongji University with double master’s degrees in Computer Science and Telecommunications Engineering.

In his free time, Chris loves playing tennis and spending time with his family.

Mr Qiu Kai

Mr Qiu Kai is the Chief Technology Officer of ANEXT Bank. He is responsible for designing ANEXT Bank’s IT and digital vision to drive business impact, and has developed a robust technology architecture roadmap that supports the full range of digital SME banking services.

As an experienced IT leader, Mr Qiu Kai manages a team to develop, manage and maintain the overall security and technology infrastructure of ANEXT Bank, including cybersecurity and business continuity frameworks and measures. He also provides the right environment and support for the team to deliver innovative solutions within budget and timelines.

Prior to joining ANEXT Bank, Mr Qiu Kai has worked in various leading software companies and banks including Commonwealth Bank of Australia, to deliver on core banking system implementations across Asia Pacific.

In his most recent role at LaSalle Investment Management Asia (“LaSalle”), Mr Qiu Kai undertook the digital transformation roadmap, overall IT operations, cybersecurity, and business continuity management for Asian countries. He successfully established a technology risk management framework and delivered various digital initiatives for LaSalle.

Mr Qiu Kai holds a Bachelor of Computing from the National University of Singapore.

Mr Tan Keok Tay

Mr Tan Keok Tay is an Associate Director with NUS Information Technology. He is currently leading a digital enablement team to run Digital Enablement Programme in conjunction with the University’s drive to raise the digital dexterity of the staff in NUS.

The programme includes tools such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Data Visualization, Forms & Flows, Survey, and products from Microsoft 365. He conducts workshops and clinic sessions to enable staff to be more effective and productive with the use of the digital tools.

Keok Tay is an alumnus of NUS, having graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer and Information Science, and a Master of Science in Management of Technology.