ICT People

Growing and thriving in HTX

Having spent more than 25 years working on ICT projects, Vincent Ho finds that HTX provides him with the optimal environment to advance his ICT career.

Vincent Ho enjoys rearing opae ula or red shrimp, a species of tiny brackish water shrimp indigenous to Hawaii. Starting with just a couple of red shrimps, the Senior Principal Engineer from Joint Capabilities Project Management Centre (JCPMC) now has a fish tank full of them.

“If you treat them well and give them lots of space to grow, they will thrive,” he said.

This is incidentally how he feels he has grown and thrived in HTX.

Having spent more than 25 years working on ICT projects in both the private and public sectors, Vincent finds that HTX provides him with the optimal environment to advance his ICT career.

Vincent Ho joined HTX in October 2020 as it provided him with a sense of belonging (Photo credit: HTX)

The first thing that attracted him to HTX is the opportunity of working with like-minded colleagues. “It is actually quite normal for ICT projects to span over a few years. You just need to be able to follow through. This is why having good mentors and colleagues is crucial and it’s why I wanted to join HTX,” he revealed.

According to him, he had his sights set on joining HTX when the statutory board was launched in late-2019 but joined formally in October 2020. By then, he had already spent more than 18 years working on ICT Infrastructure for MHA.

With the launch of HTX, some of these projects shifted here. HTX is now the quintessential agency for developing science and tech solutions for the Home Team.

“At MHA, I was primarily managing ICT infrastructure that was used across the ministry and had the opportunity to represent MHA in whole-of-government initiatives. With the launch of HTX, some of these projects shifted here. HTX is now the quintessential agency for developing science and tech solutions for the Home Team. I wanted to continue being a part of such projects,” he said.

Several of the colleagues he worked with over the course of his career had also joined HTX. Thus, he saw his move to HTX as a form of natural progression.

Vincent (far right) and his team at HTX’s 10,000 steps trek from New Phoenix Park (NPPk) to 1 Stars Avenue. (Photo credit: Vincent Ho)

“Having the chance to work with colleagues and seeing HTX leaders in action give me a great sense of belonging. The trust that HTX leaders have in their staff provides me with the right frame of mind to start each day wanting to learn more and do more,” he noted.

Currently, Vincent is tasked to lead the network segregation project for the enterprise ops network. This entails designing and building an enterprise cloud-centric ICT infrastructure for higher resiliency and enhance the security posture to better support MHA’s operational needs.

“This is meaningful to me as it gives me the chance to help to chart the ICT infrastructure of MHA into the future,” he said.

Aside from the fulfilment he derives from work, Vincent appreciates the learning opportunities provided at HTX. “During the last three months, I have gained significant domain knowledge and increased the technical know-how during deep-dive sessions and training,” he added.

Vincent’s opae ula or red shrimp (Photo credit: Vincent Ho)

Like the red shrimp he keeps, Vincent deems it necessary to constantly pick up new skills to adapt to the everchanging landscape. But one thing’s for sure, working alongside colleagues with the same goal provides motivation along the way.

“Having good colleagues and leaders with a common focus can help greatly in achieving the planned outcomes. Together, I am looking forward to continuing to contribute more at HTX,” he highlighted.