Name : Chua Kian Sheng
Company : Ecquaria Technologies
Post : Chief Architect
Field : Web Services

Most people play chess. Chua Kian Sheng plays the, arguably, more complex Weiqi. Most people would jump at an offer to join corporate giant Microsoft. Kian Sheng chose to join local firm Ecquaria. Most people leave university with a degree. Kian Sheng went a step further—he got the 2000 Lee Kuan Yew Award for being the top student for the Bachelor of Science (Computer and Information Sciences) degree at NUS that year. For most people, walking comes naturally. For Kian Sheng, disabled with a limp, it’s a constant struggle. Yet, this plucky Chief Architect with Ecquaria takes everything in his stride. And on the infocomm career path, he is well on track to success.

Unlimited Prospects:
What is life in infocomm like for you?

I’m a Chief Architect in the Ecquaria Product Development team. We work on web services and business process management. In our industry, we build what we call ‘middleware’, that is, software systems that help IT developers in businesses and corporations create their own e-services and systems with point-and-click ease. One cool feature is that these developers don’t need to do coding from scratch. Our system, the Ecquaria SOP (Service-Oriented Platform), has easy-to-use tools and features that make application development a breeze. One of my key roles is to help chart the direction for our product’s development. We are always refining the system to improve our users’ experience. As a result, our SOP just keeps getting better and easier to use. That’s pretty neat.

Also, in the course of my work, I am sometimes called on to perform technical support. This requires my immediate attention. For example, it will not do at all to have an e-ticketing system down for too long. No one would be able to buy tickets to their favourite performances! Another aspect of my job is to help provide training to developers on how to use our system.

Unmatched Rewards:
How does infocomm enrich your world?

To me, the most rewarding part about being in infocomm is that I can help make an impact, albeit indirectly, on our everyday lives. Our SOP helps numerous businesses and organisations provide better e-services to people. Services that make it quicker and easier to do just about anything! For example, should you decide to go to NUS or NTU, the online admission system you use will probably be a system developed using our SOP. As a university student there, you’ll also be able to enrol for course modules online using a service our product helped engineer. Life’s much easier with infocomm. That’s what I love about being in the industry, you’re able to make a positive difference in people’s lives.

A Life Without Limits:
Infocomm. Live IT or leave IT?

How can we live without it? Technology is everywhere in our lives. If you’re tuned towards bits and bytes, join the industry. Not only will you not regret it, you’ll find yourself loving every minute of it. I know I am.

Ecquaria Technologies

Ecquaria Technologies is a leading enterprise business platform provider, with offices in the US, China, Mexico and an expanding network of partners in ASEAN and Africa. Ecquaria’s proven Service-Oriented PlatformTM powers various customer-centric services for governments and enterprises worldwide. Ecquaria has also won international accolades for its success for the Singapore government (Public Services Infrastructure), overseas governments and large corporations.