SINGAPORE - Global information and communications technology leader Huawei opened an Enterprise Solutions Showcase Center in Singapore on Thursday.

The center, located at an office near the Changi Airport, is the first for Huawei in the South Pacific. It showcases an array of enterprise solutions, including cloud computing data center and cloud application solutions.

In an example of the efficacy of its desktop cloud solution, over 45,000 Huawei engineers around the world now use "virtual desktops" as part of a large desktop cloud collaboration, resulting in enhanced information security, more efficient maintenance and lower operating costs, the company said.

"Virtual desktops" refer to a solution that centralizes the computing and storage resources of personal computers such as CPU (central processing unit), hard drive and memory into a cloud computing data center so that end users can access their own " virtual PCs" using monitors and thin clients only.

"Cloud computing will increasingly define the future of computing and communications and therefore plays a central role in Huawei's ICT strategy," said Tony Zhang, vice president of enterprise business group for South Pacific region.

Huawei considers Singapore its regional hub for its business and the center in Singapore will serve the need of clients in the South Pacific region, the company said.

Huawei also signed a memorandum of understanding with Singapore 's Temasek Polytechnic on Thursday to set up a cloud technology and innovation center at the institution. The joint laboratory will be dedicated to the research, development and teaching of computing technology.

The company is also in discussion with Temasek Polytechnic for further cooperations such as student scholarships and curriculum development, Zhang said.

"This collaboration with Huawei will equip our students with the skills to lead in cloud computing technology projects and enable them to respond effectively to growing industry demands in this area," said Boo Kheng Hua, principal and chief executive officer of Temasek Polytechnic.

Zhang said Huawei is also rolling out joint laboratory projects with local education institutions in other countries including Bangladesh and Australia in the region to share its technology.

An Internet protocol training center in Bangladesh has been built, while an organization has been appointed to for the establishment of a joint laboratory "three or four months ago" in Australia.

Responding to a question about Huawei being blocked earlier from bidding for the National Broadband Network project in Australia, Jeff Hwong, regional sales director for Southern Pacific enterprise business at Huawei, said that the technologies Huawei provided are "really open and transparent" and "all certified by third parties."

"Let me just assure you that what Huawei intends to do is basically to share our technologies all across the world. Globally, not just in Australia," said Jeff Hwong, regional sales director for Southern Pacific enterprise business.