The launch of such an institute is a first in the region, claims the telco, and is designed to enhance the cyber security skills and preparedness of businesses and governments in Asia Pacific.
The institute – spread out over 10,000 square feet – will provide cyber skills development and education programmes aimed at the varying needs of company boards and the C-suite management.
“Cyber security is no longer just a technical issue to be tackled only at the operational level. It needs to involve all levels within an organisation including boards and C-suite management, and even external stakeholders such as regulators,” said Bill Chang, CEO of group enterprise at Singtel.
“We hope to arm enterprises and public agencies with the necessary know-how to counter cyber threats in a holistic manner. This will help them mitigate the risks and costs associated with cyber disruptions.”
According to Chang, over 85% of companies in Singapore lack robust cyber response plans to conduct drills to test such plans. The lack of preparedness is exacerbated by the global shortfall of trained cyber security experts, estimated at around one million in 2016, according to Forbes.
The CSI is said to have the ability to emulate and replicate the environments and operations of enterprises utilising technologies. It can also simulate cyber attacks to test a company’s vulnerabilities, defence and response capabilities.
In conjunction with the launch of the institute, the telco also announced that is working with the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) to train infocomm professionals in cyber security.
Earlier this month Singtel signed a partnership with Inmarsat in which its cyber security arm Trustwave will provide the software-base Unified Threat Management (UTM) service for the satellite services provider's hardware onboard ships.
