TIANJIN: Trend Micro Inc, a world-leading provider of anti-virus and content security software and services, established last Thursday a research and development (R&D) centre in Tianjin with the National Computer Virus Emergency Centre (NCVEC).

The centre, called TrendLabs China, is Trend Micro's first anti-virus R&D centre in China. It is also NCVEC's first technical co-operation with a global anti-virus service provider.

NCVEC, a research institute affiliated with the Ministry of Public Security, is China's only official anti-virus R&D centre.

"Although we have set up several TrendLabs around the globe, including TrendLabs' headquarters in the Philippines, we felt it was time to set up such a centre in China to provide instant, more specific services to Chinese computer users," said Lu Lichen, president of Trend Micro's China Region.

Computer viruses occasionally break out in one area. As a result, region-specific solutions are needed.

To effectively provide instant, emergency anti-virus solutions, service providers must constantly collect and study virus samples and maintain around-the-clock supervision, said Liu Jiayong, president of Trend Micro's Asia-Pacific Region.

"NCVEC is an ideal partner, as it has a rich collection of samples of computer virus that have broken out in China," he said.

"With access to this collection, we can better understand the computer viruses in China, and better prepare to provide quicker, better anti-virus solutions to minimize users' losses."

TrendLabs' global headquarters are responsible for collecting, analysing and supervising virus samples around the world.

TrendLabs China will be responsible for China-specific events, and will provide instant, targetted solutions to those incidents. Problems that can't be handled by TrendLabs China will be sent to head office in the Philippines.

Three engineers are employed at the China lab.

Trend Micro will soon transfer more capital, technology support and engineers to Tianjin, Liu said.

"The new lab will be integrated into our global anti-virus R&D network, and we will gradually transfer the know-how from other centres to China," Liu said.

The facility could employ 20 engineers within two years, he added.

"It is very likely Trend Micro will move its global R&D headquarters from the Philippines to Tianjin as TrendLabs China develops," said NCVEC Vice-Director Zhang Jian.

TrendLabs China will offer technical training to Chinese engineers, and will grant Trend Micro's anti-virus certification to qualified trainees.

The lab will also establish subsidiaries across China that will provide technical consultations.

"As computer viruses are spreading globally via the Internet, anti-virus service providers should be aware that public information security, rather than the interest of a single company, should be given first priority," said Li Jing, Trend Micro's manager of technical support.

"Our solutions to emergency cases are all free."

The co-operation between Trend Micro and NCVEC is "purely technical," and it is hard to estimate the economic returns of such investments, Liu said.

But he expects a "very promising" harvest in the long-run.

Trend Micro entered China in July 2001. It has established sales branches in several major cities - including Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, in South China's Guangdong Province, and Chengdu, in Southwest China's Sichuan Province.

The company's sales network covers more than 30 cities in China.

(Business Weekly 09/02/2003 page1)