Service strategies

'We are a service-oriented SI,' said Au, 'not just a 'box-mover'.' He added that his firm prefers to hire fresh graduates, ensuring that they gain experience as well as certifications from major vendors. Netcraft has partnerships with IBM, HP, Sun Microsystems Inc., Microsoft and numerous security vendors, including Cisco Systems Inc. While Au said that while Cisco's latest vision of 'unified communication' might play well among the multinationals currently setting up shop in Macau, many of his clients have more limited networks.

Like Hong Kong, much business in Macau is conducted via quick mobile phone calls in Cantonese and faxes, but Netcraft's Au added: 'the Macau way of business [lies] somewhere between Hong Kong and the mainland.' As a result, he said, big Macau projects often are won in one single bid, but infrastructure work is then split up among subcontractors and sub-subcontractors.

'Especially in the gaming sector,' said HP's Iao, 'timing is critical.' With the current 'gold rush' spearheaded not only by various Vegas concerns but also homegrown gaming operations, many infrastructure clocks are rapidly approaching critical mass. The amount of fiber-optic cable, silicon and copper to be uncrated and installed in Macau over the next few years will be, in a word, massive.

Vendors on the jetfoils