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FEATURE / CYBERSECURITY 2021
FUTURE OF CYBERSECURITY 2021 – CYBERSECURITY IN THE NEXT NORMAL
The conference addressed the main challenges surrounding cybersecurity preparedness, with case studies on real-life situations discussed, the management of these incidents and measures to prevent a recurrence, among other salient topics.
T
he Future of Cybersecurity 2021 was launched with a bang by Alex Loh, Country Manager of Fortinet and Organising Chairman of the event, and Danny Lee, Chairman of PIKOM, when they placed their palms on a sensor to initiate the launch gimmick.
WELCOME ADDRESS by Alex Loh
In his welcome address, Alex shared that the last few months have been tough despite the recovery efforts, coupled with many uncertainties. He expressed that digital transformation had already begun way before the pandemic. However, with the acceleration of digitalisation, cyberthreats have also increased. Alex pointed out that cyberattacks increased in 2020 compared to 2019. “Cyber resilience is more than just cyber security, it is about business
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continuity,” he explains. “Companies, government agencies, educational institutions and regulators are trying to rely more on digital services and stable connectivity. Above and beyond that, we need resilient cybersecurity measures to protect ourselves and the systems we use,” Alex adds. He highlights that this year, the Global Cybersecurity Index ranked Malaysia at eighth place out of 194 countries globally. Alex explains that Malaysia has been successfully addressing cybersecurity because it has in place policies focused on deploying a solid national strategy, and the industry must continue to support these policies. For Malaysia to continue remaining strong, experts in this area are needed. He pointed out that in 2020, there was a shortage of over 7,900 cybersecurity experts in Malaysia, and this is expected to
increase if nothing is done to address the issue. Alex explains that for this, collaboration is needed with the relevant government agencies and institutes of higher education to produce more cybersecurity experts.
Danny Lee Danny explains that agility is key to implementing changes, while resilience is key to surviving the challenges faced in the constantly evolving business environment. He notes that disruptive technology has caused a significant rise in cybersecurity threats. “Everything that has happened in the last 2 years has disrupted our ecosystem, our business operations, business strategies, and this has amplified the urgency towards transformation, and for companies and organisations to become more agile and resilient,” Danny explains.
