Growing complexity of risks lets organisations in Southeast Asia struggle with cybersecurity – Intel Security study

Growing complexity of risks lets organisations in Southeast Asia struggle with
cybersecurity – Intel Security study

·  1 in 3 respondents
from Thailand and almost 1 in 2 respondents from Singapore felt that managing
cybersecurity had become more complex

·  1 in 3 respondents from Malaysia and Vietnam
respectively believe their organisations were less prepared to tackle
cybersecurity now than 12 months before

Singapore – March
7, 2017 – Intel Security today revealed
findings of the Intel Security Southeast Asia Cyber Awareness Study, which
looks at organisations’ outlook towards the current state of cybersecurity
management, their views on working with cybersecurity vendors and their
cybersecurity response preparedness levels. The study gathered opinions of over
2,000 IT professionals across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam
and the Philippines.

Key findings of the
Intel Security South East Asia Cyber Awareness Study revealed the following:

·  Complexity of managing
cybersecurity: Of the countries surveyed, about 1 in 3 respondents
from Thailand and almost 1 in 2 respondents from Singapore felt that managing
cybersecurity had become more complex. In fact, in Singapore, only 20 percent
of respondents believe that it had become less complex. 44 percent of
respondents from Philippines, the country reported to be the least “cyber
mature”[1] in Southeast
Asia, also felt managing cybersecurity had become more complex. In contrast,
respondents from Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam felt managing cybersecurity
had become less complex at 31 percent, 34 percent and 41 percent respectively,

·  Organizational
preparedness: 32 percent and 37 percent of respondents
from Malaysia and Vietnam respectively believed that their organisations were
less prepared to tackle cybersecurity now than they were 12 months before.

·  Working with
cybersecurity vendors: Collaboration is key to navigating the
complex cybersecurity space. When asked about whether their organisations would
work with more cybersecurity vendors, 46 percent of all respondents stated that
their organisations would be working with more cybersecurity vendors.

David Allott, Director of Cyber Defence, Asia
Pacific, Intel Security said, “Organisations need to understand the perils of
the cyberspace they operate in. With the digital economy in Southeast Asia set
to hit US$200 billion by 2025[2], there is plenty of
allure for cybercriminals looking for a lucrative payday. Organisations need to
identify the key parts of their business that they need to secure, and work
with cybersecurity specialists who provide tailored and holistic solutions that
address their needs.“

While the emphasis placed on increased
collaboration is a step forward, Intel Security suggests the adoption of a
holistic approach towards cybersecurity that involves a combination of various
technologies, and the education of employees.

Allott added, “Powerful, emerging technologies like machine
learning and artificial intelligence can help fight cybercriminals, who also
are constantly innovating. Intel Security believes that organisations need
to fully utilize these new technologies to augment their existing solutions,
and also educate their employees on the best practices to adopt when conducting
business in cyberspace. Only through such a concentrated effort can
organisations truly be digitally safe.”  

About the Intel
Security Southeast Asia Cyber Awareness Study

The Intel Security
Southeast Asia Cyber Awareness Study looks at organisations’ outlook towards
the current state of cybersecurity management, their views on working with
cybersecurity vendors and their cybersecurity response preparedness levels. The
study gathered opinions of over 2,000 IT professionals across Singapore,
Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

[1] ASPI Report: Cyber
Maturity in the Asia Pacific 2016 (September 2016)

[2] Google-Temasek Report: Southeast Asia Digital
Economy 2025 (June 2016)