Charleston Sin Chiu-shun can see the future and he knows it works. This is lucky for everyone because as Hong Kong and Macau general manager for Cisco, he plays a key role in making it work. Cisco may not be as familiar a name as, say, Microsoft - which is both a partner and rival. But the name is in virtually every house, business, organisation and enterprise imaginable. The company is the world's largest internet network solutions provider, which essentially means that it controls the platform of trillions of microchips that keep our daily lives running. In Hong Kong, the corporation connects internet service providers, telephone systems, banks, hospitals, public transport, hotels, corporations, small and medium-sized businesses and the government. 'Virtually all network traffic goes through Cisco,' Mr Sin said. 'If we stopped working, the world is now so dependent on internet technology that not much of Hong Kong would continue running. 'None of the public transport systems could operate, not even the roads because traffic lights wouldn't work. The airport would close. Banks and ATMs would shut down, along with telephone systems and supermarkets. Businesses could continue, but without any form of communication.' Pressed to imagine any operation that might escape unscathed, he suggested: 'Perhaps just one, the Star Ferry.' Thankfully, apart from the odd hiccup like the Pacific Ocean earthquake last December that shut down half of the undersea communication cables, sending Hong Kong into a mild panic, the technology is reliable - and the nightmare scenario he painted is highly unlikely Instead, he sees the internet taking a giant leap forward into the 'second phase'. 'It's a very exciting time, with wonderful things happening,' he said. The so-called first phase of the communications revolution was e-mail, browsing the web, video conferencing and instant messaging. 'But this is all basically one-on-one,' he said. 'Now we are entering the era of blogging and personal web pages, with people sharing with the world how they feel about issues. Videos captured on phones are instantly shared at sites like YouTube. The online encyclopedia Wikipedia is constantly updated by contributors.' Internet commerce is growing and more people are even meeting and marrying online. The internet is becoming more interactive. 'Because we can now interact so quickly and easily, ideas are generating so much faster and we can collaborate so much easier,' he said. 'It's changing the world.' Someone once said that 'everything is maths' and Mr Sin would not disagree. At school in Wong Tai Sin he was 'really good at maths and computer science', and completed his secondary education in Canada, continuing with bachelor's and master's degrees respectively in operational research and business statistics, and management sciences, at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. 'Research methodology and analysis applies maths to real world problems,' he said. His master's degree focused on applying the science to manufacturing processes, and how to optimise them. Continuing his studies for a PhD, he explored management of technology and, on graduation in 1994, he was snapped-up by Bell North Research, the research arm of Nortel, to research product development of telecom systems - specifically working out how to convert the internet into 'next generation' 3G cellphones. His expertise led to an appointment as product manager with Cisco, based in California, in 1998. Two years later he returned to Hong Kong as 'an evangelist for wireless technology' in Asia, promoting the latest communications technology to phone companies, corporations and CEOs. Rapid promotion followed, from sales manager to enterprise sales manager, responsible for the biggest businesses. Along the way he also studied for a second master's degree in finance at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, paving the way for his appointment as general manager for Hong Kong and Macau last year, heading a local team of 300. 'Fundamental to success in any field is an ability to learn,' he noted. Cisco has grown into an international corporation since he has been working for it. The company, founded in 1984 by a small group of computer scientists from Stanford University, had a workforce of 10,000 when he joined nearly 10 years ago. Today, it has 63,000 employees worldwide. That growth has a long way to go, with the 'network' platform squarely at the hub of communications innovation. Cisco estimates that 14 billion devices worldwide will be connected to the internet by 2010 - equivalent to more than twice the present world population. The explosion of devices would be fuelled by more services and tasks being handled online, from phone calls and personalised searches to downloading videos, games and other forms of entertainment, Mr Sin said. 'The role of the network is evolving beyond that of infrastructure. It is emerging as a secure platform for delivering the customised and personalised experience that 21st century users expect - whether that means delivering new services as a carrier, boosting productivity for businesses or consumers looking for real-time, personalised entertainment and services. 'As an increasingly intelligent network evolves into a platform, users will be able to communicate from any device and in whatever mode they choose - and Cisco is leading this transition to a network-centric technology environment, creating a powerful communications platform that will serve as the basis for the convergence of data, voice, video and mobile communications in a secure, integrated architecture.' If continuous education is one key to getting ahead, he is also convinced: 'You have to be passionate about what you do.' This passion and enthusiasm is apparent as he demonstrates the latest generation i-phone. The latest breakthrough in technology allows 'touch-screen' control, with heat from the point of your finger acting as a 'mouse'. 'I was one of the first worldwide to access the internet on a phone back in 1999, but I never used it. The keyboards were too small,' he said. 'That is the other key - the ability to think out of the box and innovate ... and there has never been a better time to join it. We are changing the world.' Briefly speaking General manager for Cisco, Charleston Sin Chiu-shun plays key role in Hong Kong Career built on being 'really good at maths and computer science' Acquired bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees in operational research and business statistics, management sciences and management of technology in Canada Researched converting internet into 'next generation' 3G cellphones for research arm of Nortel Joined Cisco as product manager and later introduced latest communications technology Also studied second master's degree in finance at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Says 'ability to learn' and 'passion about what you do' is fundamental to success Stepping Up Technical consultant HK$25,000 to HK$50,000 Three to five years IT executive HK$20,000 to HK$30,000 Two to four years Technical support specialist HK$18,000 to HK$25,000 Two to four years Database administrator HK$15,000 to HK$20,000 One to three years Helpdesk analyst HK$10,000 to HK$15,000 Entry-level position Source: Adecco Personnel
