Picowork’s ‘Switzerland of cloud’ lets Apple, Android, Windows, Linux talk to each other

Taiwanese technology company Picowork launched in Hong Kong on Thursday what it says is the world’s first collaborative cloud operating system, marking the start of a global roll-out.

The start-up’s unique platform-as-a-service (PaaS) provides a secure, efficient and neutral online environment for users to communicate and share data across any smart device, browser and operating software.

From its regional headquarters at Cyberport, Picowork plans to swiftly embark on an aggressive sales and marketing campaign that will see its cloud OS also formally unveiled in the world’s three biggest information technology markets, the United States, Japan and mainland China.

Frank Cheung, chief executive at Picowork, said during the launch that Hong Kong provides the company with a strategic location to further expand its operations and support its growing customer base.

Established in Hong Kong in 2010, Picowork has spent about US$14 million to develop its cloud OS and cloud-based “computer”, which make up the online platform for users to perform collaborative work.

“As of this moment, we have 30 customers spread across Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China,” Picowork director Steve Chen told the South China Morning Post. “These users are in the retail, technology, manufacturing, education and business consultancy industries.”

Chen said the company’s PaaS offering has users on a minimum two-year, pay-as-you-go subscription scheme.