Fortifying cybersecurity through effective risk management

As the world continues to navigate the waters of the new normal, unprecedented accelerated digital transformation continues to be the need of the hour. However, as organisations increasingly migrate to virtual operations and transactions, there is an urgent need to protect against potential breaches and cyber intrusions. Cybersecurity threats are indeed on the rise. Ransomware and cyber incidents have multiplied, adding to the already complex crisis management morass for many organisations. Executives are now looking for the best and most sustainable critical event management strategy, while also saving time and cost.

In recent months, cybersecurity has been inextricably embedded into operations frameworks of organisations, in both the government and the private sector. Reports showed that companies’ budgets for these systems have spiked by more than 50% and towards the end of 2020, these security solutions were anticipated to form as much as half of the overall funding. Despite this, several agencies are uncertain as to how to adapt these tools and solutions. In the absence of adequate precaution, planning and programmes, many organisations are left stranded and exposed when hit by an unexpected critical event.

Such eventualities can be addressed by setting up a robust critical event management programme (CEM). This was the essence of the OpenGovLive! Virtual Breakfast Insight: Strengthening Cybersecurity and Emergency Preparedness: Enhancing Readiness, Response and Recovery.

On the 21 January, OpenGov Asia, in collaboration with Everbridge, hosted the OpenGov Live! Virtual Breakfast Insight for senior digital executives from both the public and the private sectors in the Philippines. The event focussed on establishing strong cyber resilience in organisations with effective risk management tools to be fully prepared for managing crises and cyber risks.

The role of critical event management in upgrading work systems

Mohit OpenGov Asia — Mohit Sagar By investing in a risk management programme cyber resilience becomes muscle memory

Mohit Sagar, OpenGov Asia’s Group Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, opened the session with a short introduction of the participants and the topic. He highlighted the importance of having a reliable incident management programme to ward off potential data security risks.

The current scenario in many organisations in both the public and private sectors is a delicate balancing act. He painted a picture of a group of ballerinas in a difficult balancing pose. Like these ballerinas, organisations have to balance technology, customers, employees, regulations and stakeholders in the precarious new normal. If any one of these components fail or shift, the whole construction can crash.

This tightrope act works well when everything is in equilibrium. However, an imbalance, misstep or unmanaged tension can have catastrophic results.

Reflecting on how the world responded to the pandemic, Mohit then questioned the readiness of the organisations in dealing with cyber risks and their continuity plans. Lacunae were painfully evident last year with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Technology did help manage the pandemic in terms of being able to work from home but was only a temporary solution.

Prior to the pandemic, the need to consider the impact of potentially critical events was more of a theoretical pursuit and organisations plodded along with traditional plans in place. However, when the crisis hit, organisations were floundering, ill-prepared for such a massive disruption. Significant changes were urgently required to just stay afloat.

Many organisations were able to turn things around and somewhat mitigate the impact of the pandemic. But the fact is, not all organisations were able to come out unscathed, and the reality is that there is still a lot to be done to upgrade work systems and processes to accommodate the new normal.

The solution, Mohit said, is not to hope for an auspicious year to get through 2021, but to learn from past mistakes. There is a need to find out what went wrong, develop a better understanding of organisational cyber risks and determine to set a robust resilience plan in place. From this, organisations can incorporate changes in their operation models, retrain employees and most importantly, invest in strategic tools like a critical event management system.

Technology is at our fingertips and it proved to be the saving grace last year. But resilience must not be equated with being able to keep the business running through remote methods.

Mohit emphasised that putting up event management systems must not be shouldered by organisation management alone. Operational resilience is tied to effective communication that is well-received on both ends – employers and employees, management and staff. To do this, ensuring seamless communication is key and becomes crucial in crises. It may come at a price, but in the end, it must be done.

According to Mohit, creating an operational resilience plan is not an easy task. It relies heavily on cybersecurity expertise and professional critical event management systems. Therefore, it is expedient for agencies to work with the right partners to ensure that they have the best strategy in managing upcoming cyber risks.

Setting up an adaptive event management programme suited for each organisation

AristaSonia2 OpenGov Asia — Sonia Arista Cybersecurity needs to be constantly improved to remain current and relevant

Sonia Arista, Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer at Everbridge, furthered the discussion after Mohit. She briefly shared her background in information security management and introduced Everbridge.

Everbridge is a global critical events management company that strives to keep businesses running continuously through any events that affect the workforce and supply chain, such as IT disruptions, and to maintain visibility and communications between employees and leaders on events that might affect the business.

Working in information security program management means that half of the time, Sonia needs to oversee product development as well as operational areas. The other half of the time, she is responsible for maintaining the security of Everbridge’s employees’ information and environments and maintaining a standard of security.

This can be challenging for several reasons. First, full visibility in the context of what is happening is difficult to achieve. Second, determining the level of severity of the events and the parties is not straightforward. Thirdly, how to notify relevant people, what messaging is needed, it is a one-way communication or is feedback required can make response complicated.

In short, identifying the appropriate response plan to the event and putting it into action is the name of the game. She also felt that assessment post-crisis is important to determine areas of improvement and potentially developing guidelines for other members in the industry.

To address this, there must be an adaptive critical event management programme integrated within operations models. However, Sonia was quick to acknowledge that deploying a CEM programme is no walk in the park. None the less, the rationale is that the more time spent to impact-proof operations, assets and people the better the resilience during critical events.

Sonia went on to explain her take on simplifying and unifying critical event management. To streamline the whole process, Everbridge views 4 factors to be at the core:

Assessing an incident
Locating what is happening, identify stakeholders and assets impacted
Acting and responding to the event – inform, notify, rally, collaborate, mitigate, fix, and recover.
Analysing the performance on the course of the incident, and to offer possible improvements on the processes

According to Sonia, there are instances where organisations need to manage multiple crises. Events can happen in tandem and are often caused by multiple factors such as supply chain disruption, disease outbreaks, severe weather, etc. All of these elements together contribute information to the events, and by applying the four core factors mentioned above, an organisation can fully mitigate and resolved any event.

Different business models will have different focus areas and critical event management takes different forms for organisations across various sectors. For example, companies with multiple factories will want to focus on physical access control to maintain standards in their facility, weather services for health systems to predict patient influx caused by natural disasters and threat intel engines in cybersecurity. She underscored this point by showing a list of partners that collaborated with systems such as Everbridge to bring comprehensive intel and context in remediation planning.

Sonia summarised her presentation by acknowledging that there are various programmes that an organisation can utilise. It all depends on which key areas that a specific agency would want to focus on so that the proper critical incident management can be deployed.

Enhancing cybersecurity measures through critical events management

Charlotte OpenGov Asia — Charlotte Wood Cybersecurity needs a risk based approach that is people centric

Following Sonia’s presentation, Charlotte Wood, Director of Policy and Awareness of Cybersecurity at New South Wales Government shared her experience with the participants. Her department is responsible for setting standards and providing leadership in cybersecurity and affects all 120 entities in the NSW Government that consist of approximately 400,000 employees.

According to Charlotte, there are 3 pillars of cybersecurity: 1) Confidentiality of digital information held, 2) Availability of the information accessed digitally by people whenever it’s needed and 3) Maintaining the integrity of the digital system and services – data must not be modified improperly, whether maliciously or accidentally

Charlotte explained that the initial question to be answered is: what is an agency trying to protect when integrating cybersecurity measures. As with most, if not all workplaces, protecting the confidentiality of data is paramount, as well as keeping such information intact and readily available. In and of themselves, these two components are not sufficient. There must be workplace safeguards to ensure the integrity of data and that malicious activities do not compromise it.

One way to balance these three key components is by applying a risk-based approach and the NSW Government uses this methodology. With their standard, they address the level of risk in 3 main areas: 1) Technology and Infrastructure – in protecting their digital system and services, 2) Procession and Organisation – the standards set and 3) People and Culture – the employees’ understanding of cybersecurity

However, more critical than these 3 areas is the risk and impact of the events to the people of NSW. The risk level dictates how they prepare for the attacks, and how they prioritise the different attacks. The risk-based approach has allowed the NSW government to have a standard framework that will work in different agencies with different needs.

Mitigating the impact of critical events does not end with a cyber risk approach. It is a holistic process that improves on key aspects of the workforce including retraining employees. She added that while the notion that cyber threats can be prevented is a myth, agencies can mitigate impacts by training people and by putting up a solid cybersecurity framework.

Charlotte concluded her talk by reiterating that investment in a cybersecurity programme is a continuous cycle. As data breaches become more sophisticated, systems must be improved and defences against these threats must be fortified. Organisations can do this through prevention and simulation of potential threats.

Polling questions

After the engaging discussion by the speakers, participants participated in polling questions and discussions regarding their risk management and cybersecurity protocols, as well as the challenges that they see in this area.

When asked about their key concerns around cybersecurity in their organisations, nearly half (49%) of the attendees voted for employee education in IT security.

A delegate from the Department of Energy said that educating employees is one of the major hurdles that his agency is experiencing. The reason is that most employees fail to grasp the importance of cybersecurity and because of this, the responsibility is left in the hands of IT professionals.

An executive from the Department of National Defense shared the same sentiment. She noted that with their current remote work programme, educating employees and enforcing security policies has become more difficult.

When it comes to measuring the effectiveness of cybersecurity architecture, two thirds (66%) of the participants said that they do this by looking at the ability of the organisation to respond effectively to impending cyber threats. Data protection, threats response and effective mitigation are their main measurements.

Interestingly, 20% of the participants stated they did not have any measurement and wanted to learn from the others. One participant from the government said they are interested to find ways to measure this area in their cybersecurity policies.

The third question was on how the participants rate the level of preparedness of their organisation to cyber threats. Few were unsure and some admitted that they are not well prepared. 45% of the participants felt that they are prepared but they have doubts if it can withstand infiltration.

The fourth question asked the participants on their biggest challenge for accelerating their response to IT incidents, a large portion, mostly government officials, voted it to be the lack of skilled Cybersecurity or IT professionals. They experienced budget constraints and felt policies in hiring these professionals were difficult to follow.

For well over half of the delegates (60%), the lack of skilled Cybersecurity/ IT Professionals is the biggest challenge they see in boosting their cybersecurity protocols. Others felt information overload and alert fatigue to be challenging since IT incidents involved not only cybersecurity but also operations.

The last question was on how participants’ security operations are currently driven. For the most part, delegates said they were compliance and incident driven but now realise the importance of risk-based or intelligence-driven parameters and were working towards it.

Conclusion

The session came to a close with Sonia stressing the need to establish a critical incident management programme in order to ramp up cybersecurity in the overall organisational framework.

She re-emphasised how different elements contribute to an incident and that it is important to look beyond the confines of technology. Keep educating and spreading awareness, pick up intelligence from suppliers and partners that are helpful for the organisation in responding rapidly to events in an automated consistent fashion.

Sonia thanked the participants for their wonderful insights and contributions and encouraged them to reach out to her team and her on their CEM journey.

RMIT Co-Launches New Earth Observation Hotspot Product

The BRIGHT/AHI algorithm, funded as part of the Australian federal government’s Smartsat CRC Bushfire initiative, was developed by a team of researchers from the former Natural Hazards CRC and Natural Hazards Research Australia.

It uses images from the Himawari-8 satellite of the Japanese Meteorological Agency to provide automated, near-continuous, and near-real-time surveillance of potential fire activity across Australia. Previously, polar-orbiting earth observation satellites could only provide one or two images per day, limiting the detection of potential hotspots. However, with the addition of geostationary satellites, new opportunities have emerged for persistent continental monitoring of fires, improving the ability to observe fire in the landscape from space.

Fire detection algorithms typically identify hotspots by comparing the temperature of a candidate pixel to a reference value. Traditional fire detection methods compare the candidate pixel to its surrounding pixels, using fixed threshold values to trigger a detection.

However, this technique can be problematic, especially when fires occur in complex landscapes or when cloud and/or smoke obscures or partially obscures pixel values. In a country as large and diverse in fire regimes as Australia, these challenges are further compounded.

The BRIGHT/AHI algorithm adopts a novel approach to detect fire activity from earth observation data. By leveraging the AHI Himawari-8 geostationary imager that captures images of Australia every ten minutes, day and night, the algorithm calculates bioregion-specific control values and associated thresholds based on a pixel’s temperature history. This history covers a 30-day period, and the values are optimised to minimise errors of omission in near-real-time. Upon receiving the satellite imagery, the algorithm processes the entire continent of Australia in less than 45 seconds, providing timely and accurate bushfire information. The algorithm’s detections have been compared to those of existing polar-orbiting, satellite-based fire detection products (Chatzopoulos-Vouzoglanis et al., 2022).

The release of the new BRIGHT/AHI hotspot product to Australian fire management agencies and the public is timely, given that two polar-orbiting fire detection products, namely the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), are approaching the end of their operational lifecycles.

The MODIS instruments were launched in 1999 (Terra satellite) and 2002 (Aqua satellite), and both have exceeded their designed operational lifetimes of six years. While the Suomi NPP VIIRS maintains the continuity of earth observations, this was recently compromised when the satellite went into safe mode in July 2022 and only recently came back online.

The BRIGHT/AHI algorithm, together with geostationary satellites, represents a new generation of near-real-time earth observation products that are revolutionising our ability to understand fire activity, regimes, impacts, and recovery in a systematic and replicable way for Australia.

Recent developments and testing have led to the inclusion of Fire Radiative Power (FRP) estimate alongside hotspots, with associated products of fire severity and combustion completeness being developed by the RMIT team. However, the challenge of persistent surveillance and tracking of wildfires across Australia is complex and requires a suite of technologies and techniques.

While no single technology or solution can provide us with robust answers to every question, BRIGHT/AHI contributes significantly to this ongoing challenge through the provision of hotspots for Australia via the Geoscience Australia Digital Earth Australia Hotspots website.

The Australian federal government’s Smartsat CRC now funds this research via its Real-time Fire Analytics research programme.

The aim of this project is to develop a comprehensive satellite system that combines geostationary, polar-orbiting, and aerial-based sensors to enable real-time attribution of fires across landscapes. The project will design and implement a data and platform ecosystem that allows for the autonomous detection, processing, and delivery of real-time fire information to end users.

The project comprises two key elements:

The design and implementation of a data and platform ecosystem that can enable real-time fire surveillance using geostationary, polar-orbiting, and aerial sensors. This “system of systems” approach will ensure that the best available information is always provided.
The project aims to develop autonomous AI algorithms for real-time fire surveillance and attribution, such as burn severity and FRP.

The Philippines Completes Ground Station Network

The Philippines’ Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has finally opened the third Ground Receiving Station (GRS) in the province of Dumangas, Iloilo. This brings the total number of ground stations in the country to three.

The facility helps the DOST get the most out of its ability to send commands and images to Philippine satellites in orbit, like the Diwata-2 and others. Researchers at all three stations can use the facilities remotely and at the same time, thanks to the Iloilo GRS.

With the Iloilo GRS in place, there are now ground stations on three of the Philippines’ main island groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. This strengthens its capacity to understand weather and lightning data, inevitably advancing the potential for disaster risk reduction and management.

This also gives scientists a chance to work on agricultural management projects and use technology to learn more about the maritime domain and even environmental issues like natural and man-made disasters.

The Iloilo GRS is one of the ground stations used to control the Diwata-2 microsatellite. It records the temperature, humidity, and data of multiple locations in real time. When the Diwata comes within the horizon of the GRS, it can talk to the microsatellite four times a day.

The number of images downloaded per day ranges between 40 and 50. The images are distributed to government agencies and local government units for disaster assessment, environmental monitoring, and maritime surveillance applications.

Through the project Understanding Lightning and Thunderstorms for Extreme Weather Monitoring and Information Sharing (ULAT), DOST-ASTI and Hokkaido University in Japan collaborated to build the Iloilo satellite tracking antenna. The project is also supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) as an Official Development Assistance (ODA) project.

The Iloilo GRS houses a 3.5-meter Earth Observation satellite tracking antenna, which supplements the activities and functions of the DOST’s two other ground stations.

The first satellite ground station, which houses a 3.7-meter antenna, was established in 2016 at the DOST Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI) Building in Quezon City. The second one in Davao, which is equipped with a 7.3-meter tracking antenna located in the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, was inaugurated in 2019.

The researchers from DOST-Philippine ASTI’s Earth Data Resource and Observation (PEDRO) Centre began testing the Iloilo GRS antenna until it is fully operational in 2022.

Aside from helping DOST-ASTI, the GRS in Iloilo is also meant to help the local community. It will do this by providing satellite image services to meet the needs of the local community in areas like monitoring mangroves and other agricultural areas. DOST also wants to teach people in the community how to use remote sensing applications to get the most out of the satellite images they are given.

Additionally, DOST-ASTI, Isabela State University (ISU)-Cauayan City Campus, DOST-Region 2, a blockchain technology startup, and Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support Computer Software Division (CSD) projects in the areas of Internet-of-Things, Blockchain, and AI technologies.

The MOU was signed with the assistance of ISU-Cauayan City Campus and DOST Region 2 to promote the use of the Kooha application in state universities and colleges, local government units, and the public and private sectors.

One goal is to make a system and do state-of-the-art research in Blockchain technology. Another goal is to find new ways to make machine learning and deep learning processes and methods more systematic and efficient for ASTI-ALaM (Automated Labeling Machine) and MSU-IIT.

The MoU is the beginning of a formal agreement between these agencies to promote, use, and keep these DOST-ASTI technologies going.

EXCLUSIVE! Beyond Smarter Data Management and Protection for Banking, Financial Services and Insurance Institutions

Over the coming years, Singapore is poised to witness significant transformations in digital financial services, particularly in three key domains: the emergence of Web 3 and decentralised finance, the widespread integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and the implementation of machine learning (ML) technology.

Prioritising strong governance and compliance should be at the top of the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) sector’s list of objectives. Adherence to regulations, following rules and taking responsibility can greatly enhance services, ensure safety, and enhance the client experience.

Employing a centralised data protection solution enables consumers to track and verify if and how their data is being protected data across various workloads. When clients have the ability to do so, they can be confident that their data is being adequately safeguarded. Moreover, this can ensure that recovery time objectives and IT audit compliances are met.

Combatting threats such as malware and ransomware, along with ensuring overall cybersecurity, requires a strategic approach across multiple levels. This includes actively monitoring for potential issues and regularly backing up data. Storing immutable copies of data in a secure location can prevent malware from encrypting them.

In addition, data intended for recovery should undergo scanning and cleaning by the organisation’s anti-virus solution to ensure that any potentially harmful data, also known as “dirty” data, is not inadvertently reintroduced into production systems.

Ensuring seamless operations while mitigating the risks of ransomware and other cyber-attacks can be challenging. However, modern data protection solutions have demonstrated their ability to reduce costs, enhance automation, enhance human capabilities and identify innovative ways to reuse data to generate new value.

The OpenGov Breakfast Insight on 22 March 2023 held at the Voco Orchard Singapore aimed to share insights and practical solutions to empower organisations to maximise data capability through cost-effective, secure and automated data-driven processes that adhere with current data regulations and comply with the standards of Singapore’s Banking, Financial Services and Insurance industry.

Opening Remarks

OpenGov Asia — Mohit Sagar∶ Singaporean financial institutions need full data security and risk mitigation strategies

Kicking off the session, Mohit Sagar, CEO & Editor-in-Chief, explains that financial data management is a set of processes and policies, usually helped by specialised software. This approach enables an organisation to merge its financial data, adhere to accounting regulations and legal requirements, and generate comprehensive financial reports.

The regulatory body responsible for overseeing Singapore’s financial institutions and establishing guidelines for data management and protection is the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). According to its regulations, financial institutions are required to implement robust policies and procedures for managing data, including appropriate classification, handling and protection.

“Financial institutions must ensure that adequate security measures are in place to mitigate the risks of data breaches and cyber threats. This could include implementing strong encryption protocols, regularly testing systems for vulnerabilities, maintaining up-to-date software and hardware and training on cybersecurity best practices,” Mohit emphasises.

The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) serves as the data protection authority in Singapore, responsible for enforcing compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). The Act sets a baseline level of data protection that must be followed by all sectors operating in Singapore.

Additionally, the PDPA also mandates that organisations obtain individuals’ consent before collecting, using, or sharing their personal information. The PDPC is empowered to investigate any breaches of the PDPA and impose penalties for non-compliance.

Data recovery refers to the process of getting lost, deleted, corrupted or inaccessible data back from storage media like hard disk drives, solid-state drives, USB drives, or other types of data storage devices. Several companies in Singapore offer data recovery services that specialise in getting data back from different types of storage media used by financial institutions.

“It’s important to remember that data recovery services can be expensive, and it’s always best to have a full data backup and disaster recovery plan in place to minimise the risk of losing data,” is Mohit’s caveat. “Establishing a robust backup and recovery system can help avoid the need for expensive data recovery services and ensure business continuity in the event of a data loss incident.”

The protection of sensitive financial data from unauthorised access, theft and cyberattacks is a top priority for Singapore’s financial institutions. To achieve this, they employ a range of security measures, including encryption, access controls, firewalls, regular updates and patches, employee training and awareness programs, penetration testing, and incident response planning.

These safeguards work together to create a comprehensive data security framework that helps to prevent data breaches and protect the integrity and confidentiality of financial data.

“Under the PDPA, financial institutions must obtain the consent of individuals before collecting, using, or disclosing their personal information,” Mohit reiterates. “But while this is the norm, there are exceptions to this rule.”

Concessions are allowed under certain circumstances, such as legal obligations or the prevention of criminal activity. As an example, financial institutions may disclose personal information to law enforcement agencies to comply with legal requirements or to prevent potential criminal activity.

Mohit understands that risk mitigation is a crucial component of risk management in Singapore’s financial sector, and financial institutions employ a range of strategies and tools to identify, evaluate and reduce the risks they face.

Diversification, risk transfer, risk avoidance, risk monitoring and reporting, contingency planning, and strong governance and compliance frameworks are examples of risk mitigation strategies utilised by financial institutions in Singapore.

Financial institutions consider the development of a data exit strategy and recovery plan as an essential part of their risk management. The process involves identifying crucial data, anticipating exit scenarios, creating a recovery plan, establishing data backup procedures, testing the recovery plan, and maintaining the plan by updating, reviewing, and monitoring it regularly.

“By adhering to these steps, financial institutions can establish a robust data exit strategy and recovery plan that ensures the protection and recovery of vital data in the event of a data breach or system failure,” Mohit ends.

Welcome Address

According to Raymond Goh, Veeam’s Vice President of Sales Engineering for APJ, the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) industry has experienced significant changes over time and has had to contend with various challenges such as regulatory compliance, cybersecurity threats, and the need to innovate to stay competitive.

The pandemic has accelerated the industry’s digital transformation, resulting in a greater demand for digital banking services. However, it has also introduced new challenges, such as physical branch disruptions and an increased risk of cyberattacks.

“Despite the challenges, the industry can provide value to its customers by leveraging new technologies and innovative strategies.” Raymond is convinced “To effectively manage risks, BFSI institutions must continue to invest in digital infrastructure, cybersecurity measures, and advanced analytics.”

The FSI journey from 1866 to the present has been remarkable; from brick-and-mortar establishments to the current digitised systems, payment apps, digital wallets, contactless payments, crowdfunding platforms, and many others.

Financial systems can be affected by various disruptions, including funding and liquidity issues, asset price declines, contagion effects and heightened credit risk. The impact of a crisis on the financial sector is largely determined by the sector’s ability to mitigate four risks: market risks, liquidity risks, credit risks, and earnings risks.

“The rise of FinTech and non-bank startups are altering the competitive landscape in financial services, forcing traditional institutions to reconsider their business practices,” Raymond reiterates. “Old school processes and legacy systems are no longer relevant in the digital world, and indeed, can be a hindrance.”

Financial institutions must foster an innovative culture that promotes innovation and utilises technology to streamline existing processes and procedures for optimal efficiency. This cultural shift towards a technology-centric mindset mirrors the broader industry acceptance of digital transformation.

Raymond recognises that today’s consumers are more knowledgeable, sophisticated and informed than ever, and they demand a high degree of customisation, personalisation and convenience from their banking services.

It is predicted that future generations, starting with Generation Z, will have an even greater preference for omnichannel banking and be more technologically savvy than Millennials.

Organisations using obsolete business management software or siloed systems will be unable to compete in this increasingly digital-first environment. Without a solid, futuristic technological foundation, businesses will miss out on crucial business evolution.

“In other words, digital transformation is no longer merely a good idea, but a necessity for survival,” Raymond states.

Financial service organisations that use cutting-edge business technology, particularly cloud applications, have a significant advantage in the digital transformation race as they can innovate more quickly. The agility and scalability of cloud technology are its strengths. Without the constraints of system hardware, cloud technology allows systems to evolve in tandem with the business.

Raymond agrees that banking is being reshaped as regulations tighten and consumers adopt new technologies and demand 24/7 access to their most sensitive data, regardless of device.

As a result of a string of high-profile breaches in recent years, security is one of the leading challenges facing the banking industry and a major concern for bank and credit union customers. Financial institutions must invest in the most advanced technologically driven security measures, such as Authentication, End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) and Address Verification Services (AVS), to protect customers.

Financial services are increasingly confronted with issues related to auditing as the frequency of data breaches and privacy concerns continue to increase. This has led to more stringent regulatory and compliance requirements.

Compliance with financial data protection standards is subject to strict regulations and audits entail some of the most rigorous requirements in modern business, often involving the need to manage highly complex IT infrastructures.

Adhering to and conducting annual disaster recovery (DR) testing regularly can be both expensive and resource-intensive.

From a financial standpoint, any amount of downtime is unacceptable, and banks may face significant penalties for revealing confidential information. The centralisation of remote or branch offices (ROBO) can exhaust an organisation’s resources and bandwidth.

Businesses around the world were heavily impacted by the pandemic, causing considerable disruption and presenting numerous challenges. These challenges demand innovation, the necessity for enhanced employee engagement, rapid market changes and quality improvement.

In this scenario, FinTech and its underpinning technology will be major disruptors. Blockchain will shake things up; digital will become mainstream; customer intelligence will be the most significant predictor of revenue growth and profitability; the public cloud will become the dominant infrastructure model; and regulators will also turn to technology.

The common theme among these is resilience, trust and data agility.

Over the last two years, the Financial Services Industry has placed significant importance on specific issues. Some key initiatives are modernising the IT operating model to adapt to the new normal, simplifying legacy systems to decrease costs, enhancing the technological capabilities to better understand customer requirements, preparing the architecture to facilitate connections with any device or location and prioritising cybersecurity measures.

FSI organisations face distinct challenges due to their strong customer relationships, financial accountability and regulatory oversight. These challenges include effectively managing regulatory and capital costs, improving operations and customer experiences to meet modern standards, safeguarding against cyber threats and ransomware attacks and ensuring data and privacy security.

According to Raymond, Veeam plays a major role in addressing all these areas and can offer unique solutions to the various opportunities and challenges that FSI organisations may encounter. Veeam’s solutions encompass streamlining and automating operations, facilitating cloud migration and modern application development, ensuring data immutability, and effectively managing privacy, risk, and compliance.

“By embracing digital transformation, utilising big data analytics, forming strategic partnerships, having strong compliance and cybersecurity frameworks and investing in talent development programmes, FSI organisations can take advantage of opportunities and address challenges,” Raymond believes.

End-user Insight

Luis C Cruz, Executive Director, Head of Automation, Infrastructure for DBS Big Data, AI and Analytics, DBS Bank Ltd is convinced that by aligning IT initiatives with the company’s overall business objectives, a comprehensive IT strategy can help businesses deliver long-term shareholder value.

“This strategy entails identifying the company’s current and future technology requirements, evaluating potential technology solutions, and developing a plan for implementing those solutions,” Luis explains.

By doing so, the company can ensure that its IT investments support business growth and profitability while reducing costs and boosting efficiency. In addition, a comprehensive IT strategy can help the business gain a competitive advantage by leveraging emerging technologies and optimising the IT infrastructure.

A comprehensive IT strategy can generate long-term shareholder value by enabling organisations to make informed decisions about technology investments and leverage technology to achieve business goals.

A robust IT strategy:

Aligns with organisation goals and governance
Adapts to the marketplace and changes how our employees work
Is focused and consistent
Honestly identify challenges
Would be authentic, clear and understood
Is memorable with a compelling tagline and value proposition
Has to be actionable towards a goal
Shows where to play and how to win

Providing foundational infrastructure capabilities that support business objectives and delivering applications and solutions to aid employees in achieving their desired business outcomes are examples of company strategies that are enabled by IT.

“The concept of SMAC or Social, Mobile, Analytics and Cloud stack, is an example of a technology strategy that is widely used throughout the industry and by IT leaders,” Luis reveals. “It all comes down to the customer experience.”

Determining the optimal approach, timing and speed (the how, when and pace) of SMAC implementation is crucial as it forms the basis for leveraging big data in corporations. As IT leaders, Luis anticipates the need to stay up-to-date on SMAC trends and implications relevant to their roles. A perfect example of a company that effectively leverages SMAC-stack infrastructure is an online streaming service provider website.

To generate sustainable shareholder value, businesses must cultivate strategic and functional IT competencies, enhance tools that improve the IT function and promote a customer-centric culture. These efforts will fortify the organisation’s internal processes and enable the development of an efficient decision support system, as well as the delivery of transformational applications.

In addition to benefiting the company, these efforts will also benefit customers by enabling enterprises to provide consistent, high-quality IT services and innovative IT solutions to business units. This will allow organisations to optimise IT efficiency and enhance its impact on enterprise outcomes, ultimately driving long-term investor value.

“IT strategy is influenced by several internal and external factors,” ends Luis. “And understanding these is critical for developing a successful IT strategy that aligns with the organisation’s overall goals and objectives.”

Closing Remarks

Raymond acknowledges the significance of data backup as a critical aspect of maintaining data resilience and availability but emphasises that it is only one aspect of a comprehensive strategy.

Data backup is a single component of ensuring data availability and resilience in hybrid cloud environments. In addition to backup solutions, it’s essential to consider other factors that can affect data resiliency and availability, such as infrastructure and data proximity, Raymond opines.

“Data proximity, the physical location of data in relation to its applications, is a crucial factor to consider when designing hybrid cloud environments. These factors must be taken into account to ensure that hybrid cloud environments are designed optimally to meet the needs of applications and data requirements.”

By adopting solutions such as edge computing or hybrid cloud architectures, organisations can ensure data proximity. These solutions enable data to be stored and processed closer to where it is required, which can improve application performance and ensure data resiliency and availability.

This involves ensuring that there are adequate computing, storage, and networking resources available to support the workload, as well as having a highly available and resilient infrastructure to mitigate the risk of outages.

“Veeam provides data resiliency through secure backup and fast, dependable recovery solutions for the hybrid cloud of the organisation,” Raymond explains. “Our solutions are intended to safeguard critical data and applications, prevent data loss and enable rapid and dependable recovery in the event of a disaster or outage.”

Veeam offers solutions designed to help organisations achieve their business continuity and disaster recovery goals by ensuring data resiliency and availability in their hybrid cloud environments.

Mohit concurs that with the increasing volume of data being produced and stored every day, data protection has become increasingly crucial. Businesses are adopting techniques that allow for data restoration in the event of loss or corruption.

“As organisations continue to produce and store more data, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ensure the security and protection of that data,” Mohit observes.

In this VUCA landscape, technology can provide significant benefits to organisations in protecting their data. Implementing technological solutions helps businesses to secure their data from loss, theft and unauthorised access. It also ensures quick data restoration in emergency or outage situations.

“In essence, the purpose of technology partnerships is to assist businesses in implementing and improving their technical systems,” Mohit believes. “There is no doubt: collaboration in technology promotes growth, eases processes and reduces timelines.”

Two heads are better than one when it comes to implementing established technology systems. But while a technology partnership can effectively deliver technical expertise, it is important not to underestimate the value business acumen offers in return.

“Ultimately, collaborating and pooling resources can prove to be a highly effective approach in propelling both parties towards progress and innovative solutions,” Mohit concludes.

EKSKLUSIF! Benteng Cerdas untuk Keamanan dan Manajemen Data untuk Lembaga Perbankan, Jasa Keuangan dan Asuransi

Singapura memiliki peran kuat dalam perkembangan finansial di Asia. Otoritas Keuangan Singapura (Monetary Authority of Singapore/ MAS) memperkirakan sektor ini akan tumbuh 4%-5% pertahun pada 2021-2025 dan rata-rata membuka 3-4 ribu lapangan pekerjaan baru tiap tahun. Untuk itu, Kemenkeu Singapura mengeluarkan Peta Transformasi Industri Finansial (Industry Transformation Map/ ITM) 2025 pada September 2022, agar industri finansial Singapura menjadi yang terdepan.

Namun, di balik angka pertumbuhan yang menarik itu, ancaman keamanan siber di Singapura pun kian meningkat. Berdasarkan laporan Badan Keamanan Siber Singapura (Cyber Security Agency of Singapore/CSA) pada Agustus 2022, ransomware, phising, command and control server, dan kejahatan siber meningkat di Kota Singa ini.

Keamanan siber menjadi hal yang tak bisa ditawar bagi perusahaan perbankan, finansial, dan asuransi. Sebab, aset data yang mereka kelola dan kepercayaan pelanggan merupakan urat nadi perusahaan agar bisa terus hidup dan bertumbuh. Sekali terjadi, insiden keamanan siber akan menodai reputasi perusahaan dan menjauhkan mereka dari sumber utama penggerak bisnis: kepercayaan pelanggan.

Serangan ransomware diperkirakan akan makin meningkat di tahun mendatang. Data Veeam menunjukkan 50% perusahaan menjadi lumpuh akibat serangan ransomware, sebanyak 76% perusahaan setidaknya terkena sekali serangan ransomware, dan 38% perusahaan tidak bisa mengembalikan data yang terkena serangan ransomware.

Untuk itu, membangun benteng yang cerdas untuk memerangi ancaman seperti malware, ransomware, dan kejahatan siber lain menjadi sangat krusial bagi berbagai bisnis. Sebuah solusi keamanan data terpusat bisa menjadi jawaban untuk memastikan keamanan siber terpantau secara keseluruhan.

Perusahaan bisa mencegah potensi serangan siber seperti ransomware dengan melakukan pencadangan data secara teratur. Untuk menambah lapisan keamanan, salinan ini bisa dilengkapi dengan replikasi dan foto. Proses klasifikasi data yang harus disimpan sesuai dengan prioritasnya juga diperlukan sebagai langkah mitigasi ancaman siber. Langkah mitigasi selanjutnya adalah memindahkan salinan data ke lokasi penyimpanan yang lebih aman untuk mencegah dokumen itu terenkripsi oleh malware. Dengan demikian, data tetap tersedia meski sistem kehilangan pasokan listrik, serangan siber, atau insiden lain.

Solusi keamanan siber terpusat diperlukan untuk memberi kemudahan bagi pengawas untuk melacak dan memverifikasi apa dan bagaimana perlindungan data di berbagai lini. Solusi yang bisa dapat memberikan peringatan jika terjadi indikasi penyusupan ransomware atau serangan lain ke sistem juga amat dibutuhkan. Pengawasan terpusat pun menambah keyakinan bahwa data telah terlindung secara maksimal, meringankan pekerjaan dengan bantuan automasi, kecerdasan buatan, kemampuan mengolah ulang data untuk mendapat insight baru, dan mengurangi biaya operasional.

OpenGov Breakfast Insight akan berbagi wawasan dan solusi praktis mengenai automasi dan arsitektur aplikasi. Acara yang diselenggarakan pada 22 Maret 2023 di Voco Orchard Singapura akan meningkatkan kemampuan proteksi data Industri Perbankan, Jasa Keuangan dan Asuransi (BFSI) Singapura.

Pembuka

Entitas bisnis privat perlu memiliki strategi pemulihan terhadap serangan siber, kegagalan sistem, atau bencana alam. Perusahaan perlu menyiapkan beberapa hal terkait rencana pemulihan, mulai dari identifikasi data yang perlu dilindungi, prosedur pencadangan data, rencana memulihkan data penting, serta pengujian, pembaruan dan audit atas rencana pemulihan data.

Pencadangan dan pemulihan data perlu dilakukan karena kelalaian menjaga data pelanggan bisa berimbas pada mahalnya biaya pemulihan, denda, dan mencoreng reputasi perusahaan ketika terjadi bencana.

Karena itu, sangat disarankan bagi perusahaan untuk memiliki cadangan data yang komprehensif dan rencana pemulihan bencana untuk meminimalkan risiko kehilangan data.

“Rencana pemulihan harus menjadi salah satu pertimbangan utama, sebab ini yang akan menjadi penyelamat ketika terjadi serangan,” jelas Mohit Sagar, CEO dan Pemimpin Redaksi, OpenGov Asia.

Selain itu, mereka pun mesti taat pada aturan yang ditetapkan pemerintah untuk menjaga berbagai kemungkinan kegagalan sistem layanan finansial. Dari sisi pemerintah, mereka menetapkan regulasi bagi lembaga keuangan, perbankan dan asuransi.

Aturan Pedoman MAS mensyaratkan lembaga keuangan untuk memiliki kebijakan dan prosedur manajemen data yang kuat.

Lembaga keuangan diharuskan melakukan klasifikasi, penanganan, dan perlindungan dan keamanan data yang tepat. Selain itu, Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) mensyaratkan organisasi untuk patuh dengan aturan data pribadi (Personal Data Protection Act/ PDPA).

Sambutan

Perubahan masif layanan digital dalam lima hingga sepuluh tahun terakhir telah mengubah proses bisnis dan ekspektasi pada industri finansial. Perusahaan diharapkan bisa memiliki strategi untuk menangani berbagai tantangan digitalisasi, mulai dari privasi, keamanan data, hingga serangan siber harus ditangani.

Raymond Goh, VP Sales Engineering, Veeam APJ menyebutkan empat tantangan utama industri finansial; risiko pasar, likuiditas, kredit, dan pendapatan. Untuk menghadapi tantangan pasar, perusahaan finansial perlu terus melakukan inovasi. Salah satunya adalah lewat automasi untuk efisiensi proses dan tetap memenangkan pasar. Berinvestasi pada automasi membuat perusahaan bisa mengubah pekerjaan, proses, dan prosedur manual.

“Di era digital, tidak ada ruang untuk proses dan sistem manual. Oleh karena itu, penting bagi lembaga keuangan untuk mempromosikan budaya inovasi, di mana teknologi dimanfaatkan untuk efisiensi proses dan prosedur,” tandas Goh.

Perusahaan finansial mesti makin gesit untuk menghadapi tantangan persaingan dari industri fintech yang menjadi pesaing kredit layanan perbankan tradisional. Apalagi konsumen saat ini makin cerdas dan mengharapkan layanan perbankan yang lebih praktis dan terpersonalisasi.

“Selain itu, pasca COVID-19, sejumlah perubahan pada sistem bisnis juga terjadi,” lanjut Goh.

Bertambahnya kecepatan perubahan bisnis menjadi salah satu bagian dari tantangan itu. Bisnis berubah untuk mengikuti ekspektasi pasar yang makin banyak tuntutan. Perusahaan pun diminta untuk terus melakukan inovasi sebagai jurus adaptasi terhadap pasar. Automasi bisa membantu mempercepat proses dengan menggantikan proses yang diolah manusia untuk mempercepat proses dan menghindari human error.

Seiring dengan digitalisasi yang terus menjadi arus utama, inovasi seperti fintech dan blockchain tidak dapat terhindari sebagai persaingan yang harus dihadapi. Untuk memenangkan persaingan, perusahaan finansial dan perbankan mesti memanfaatkan analisis data untuk mengenali pelanggan lebih dalam. Sebab, bisnis yang mampu menebak dengan tepat keinginan pelanggan akan menghasilkan solusi yang meningkatkan pendapatan, mendongkrak pertumbuhan, dan menimbun keuntungan.

Sementara untuk menjaga risiko pendapatan, keamanan siber dan modernisasi jaringan menjadi tantangan berikutnya. Perusahaan finansial merupakan sasaran empuk bagi para penjahat siber. Tidak heran jika tingkat serangan siber makin meningkat dari tahun ke tahun dan industri pun perlu makin waspada dan mempertebal tembok keamanan mereka.

Komputerisasi di perbankan sudah dimulai cukup lama, sehingga tak heran jika sejumlah pemain perbankan terkemuka masih menggunakan aplikasi dan sistem lawas. Namun, sistem kuno ini tidak bisa akan mampu mengimbangi kecepatan dunia digital, sehingga, modernisasi sistem-sistem ini mutlak diperlukan untuk mengimbangi permintaan konsumen dan memajukan bisnis.

Untuk itu, Goh menyampaikan bahwa saat ini organisasi jasa keuangan banyak yang mengalihkan sebagian sistem mereka ke cloud untuk mempercepat proses bisnis. Tentu, keandalan teknologi cloud adalah kelincahan dan fleksibilitas dalam memperbesar atau memperkecil kapasitas sistem yang dibutuhkan (skalabilitas).

Berdasarkan riset yang dilakukan Veeam, sebanyak 50% beban kerja akan dilakukan di komputasi awan (cloud) pada 2023. Sementara 65% perusahaan akan menggunakan layanan komputasi awan untuk strategi perlindungan data mereka.

“Tuntutan lain bagi industri perbankan adalah mesti tersedianya sistem tanpa jeda selama 24 jam, 7 hari seminggu. Tidak ada toleransi untuk downtime dan kebocoran data rahasia bisa menyebabkan sanksi denda yang bisa menghancurkan bisnis perbankan.”

Saat ini, perusahaan tak lagi punya cukup waktu untuk pemulihan data. Jika dulu downtime bisa dilakukan dalam hitungan dua hingga tiga hari, saat ini toleransi terhadap downtime kian menipis. Kegagalan sistem selama 30 menit atau dalam hitungan jam saja akan sangat berpengaruh pada kepuasan pelanggan.

Bank perlu mempersiapkan sistem mitigasi dan cadangan sebaik mungkin untuk data-data paling sensitif mereka. Selain itu, kemampuan sistem untuk mampu memulihkan seluruh data tepat waktu juga menjadi tantangan. Goh menyebut 9 dari 10 pelanggan tidak bisa lolos dari ketentuan ini.

Insight Pengguna

Perusahaan perlu memastikan investasi TI yang dilakukan bisa mendukung bisnis mendulang pendapatan dan profitabilitas bisnis, mengurangi biaya, dan meningkatkan efisiensi. Selain itu, strategi TI dengan memanfaatkan teknologi baru juga membantu bisnis memiliki keunggulan kompetitif.

Untuk itu, Luis C Cruz, Direktur Eksekutif, Kepala Automasi, Infrastrutktur untuk Big Data, AI, dan Analisa DBS, percaya bahwa kemampuan untuk terus belajar menjadi fondasi untuk strategi TI yang komprehensif dan kompetitif.

Pencadangan data saat ini tidak semata digunakan untuk menyiapkan backup semata, tapi sekaligus sebagai bagian dari perlindungan data. Ia menyampaikan konsep “SMAC” (Social, Mobile, Analitic, dan Cloud) sebagai basis penggunaan big data di perusahaan besar.

“Konsep “SMAC” digunakan secara luas di seluruh industri dan oleh para CIO/pimpinan TI untuk melakukan transformasi proses bisnis dan meningkatkan pengalaman pelanggan,” jelas Luis.

SMAC merupakan model baru bagi tim TI perusahaan agar organisasi lebih terkoneksi, kolaboratif, dan produktif. SMAC bisa memengaruhi seluruh “ekosistem” perbankan mulai dari pelanggan, karyawan, dan mitra.

“Harapan saya adalah kita, sebagai pemimpin TI, tetap mengikuti tren dan implikasi dalam SMAC karena sangat berkaitan dengan peran kita. Situs penyedia layanan streaming online mungkin adalah contoh terbaik dari perusahaan yang memanfaatkan infrastruktur tumpukan SMAC dengan sebaik-baiknya.”

Luis mengutip bahwa untuk mendorong nilai pemegang saham jangka panjang, bisnis harus mengembangkan kompetensi TI yang strategis dan fungsional, meningkatkan alat TI yang meningkatkan fungsi TI, dan menumbuhkan budaya yang berpusat pada peningkatan kepuasan pelanggan. Proses ini akan memperkuat proses internal organisasi, yang dapat mengarah pada pengembangan sistem pendukung keputusan yang efisien dan penyampaian aplikasi transformasional.

Hal ini juga akan menguntungkan pelanggan, karena perusahaan akan dapat memberikan layanan TI yang konsisten dan berkualitas serta solusi TI yang inovatif untuk unit bisnis. Dengan ini, organisasi akan mengoptimalkan efisiensi TI dan meningkatkan dampak TI pada hasil perusahaan, sehingga mendorong nilai pemegang saham jangka panjang.

Penutup

Raymond Goh: Menjawab tantangan digitalisasi dengan automasi, cloud, pengelolaan data, dan kekekalan data untuk memperkuat ketahanan siber

Organisasi FSI memiliki kombinasi tantangan unik karena bisnis ini berkaitan erat dengan kepercayaan pelanggan, beban tanggung jawab yang besar lantaran mengurus keuangan, hingga peraturan yang ketat. Ancaman serangan siber dan ransomware juga terus menghantui. Untuk itu, perusahaan perlu melakukan investasi untuk mengamankan sistem, menjaga operasional, sekaligus berinovasi agar layanan bisa terus menyesuaikan dengan ekspektasi pelanggan yang makin digital.

Menurut Goh, seluruh tuntutan itu bisa diringankan dengan solusi Veeam. Solusi automasi bisa digunakan untuk merampingkan dan mengotomatisasi operasional. Sehingga, sumber daya manusia bisa dialihkan untuk berkonsentrasi pada inovasi dan hal lain yang berkontribusi langsung pada pertumbuhan perusahaan ketimbang hanya memelihara sistem lama.

“Dengan beralih ke perlindungan data modern, Anda menghilangkan beban besar dari manajemen lama sekaligus memberikan perlindungan dan pengawasan yang lebih besar terhadap data sensitif Anda,” terang Goh.

Selain itu, automasi juga menghemat anggaran perusahaan. Pemulihan data otomatis, pelanggan Veeam berhasil mengurangi biaya pencadangan dan pemulihan 55% lebih efisien dan mengurangi biaya pencadangan dan perlindungan data hingga 50%.

Veeam membantu perusahaan untuk melakukan migrasi ke cloud dan pengembang aplikasi modern. Perpindahan ini membutuhkan keahlian untuk mengubah data yang terjebak disistem lama ke komputasi awan (cloud) yang fleksibel. Dengan data yang lebih fleksibel, pelanggan bisa mengolah ulang data mereka dan membuahkan insight yang berguna bagi perusahaan. Pelanggan Veeam yang menggunakan kembali data mereka untuk mendorong pengembangan dan pengujian aplikasi modern berhasil meningkatkan produktivitas hingga 11%.

Perlindungan data dari serangan malware dan ransomware menjadi keharusan. Untuk itu, Veeam menawarkan solusi kekekalan data (data immutability). Konsep ini memberi garansi dan mengatasi celah antara jaringan produksi dan pencadangan data. Jadi, meski terjadi serangan, data cadangan tertap 100% terlindungi. Sebanyak 95% pelanggan Veeam yang menggunakan cadangan permanen tidak terpengaruh atau hanya sedikit terdampak dari ransomware.

Dengan banyaknya aturan yang mengikat institusi finansial, Veeam bisa membantu mengelola privasi, risiko, dan kepatuhan data. Sistem perlindungan data modern memastikan penyimpanan dan perlindungan data bisa mengikuti aturan-aturan yang bisa berubah sewaktu-waktu. Pelanggan yang menggunakan Veeam untuk regulasi dan privasi secara aktif berhasil mengurangi 45% kegagalan audit dan kepatuhan.

Mohit menambahkan bahwa organisasi dapat memperoleh manfaat besar dari penggunaan solusi teknologi untuk melindungi data mereka. Dengan menerapkan solusi ini, bisnis dapat memastikan bahwa data mereka aman dari kehilangan, pencurian, dan akses tidak sah serta dapat dipulihkan dengan cepat jika terjadi keadaan darurat atau gangguan.

“Intinya, tujuan kemitraan teknologi adalah untuk membantu bisnis dalam menerapkan dan meningkatkan sistem teknis mereka,” tegas Mohit.

Dia percaya bahwa kolaborasi teknologi bisa mendorong ekspansi bisnis perusahaan. Menurutnya, dua kepala lebih baik daripada satu ketika menerapkan sistem teknologi. Hal ini serupa dengan kemitraan teknologi yang dapat memberikan asistensi dan pengetahuan teknis apa pun secara efisien.

Promoting and Creating AI Awareness in the Philippines

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in the Philippines and the University of the Philippines (UP) Mindanao aim to educate the public about the benefits and applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in a variety of fields.

The country has recognised that AI is one of the technologies that is starting to change the way businesses and organisations work. Because AI has so many uses, it is starting to be utilised in many different areas, and its full potential is being realised and used in many markets. Hence, businesses and organisations in the Philippines are starting to pay attention to the benefits of this.

During the recent “1st AI Pinas Research and Development (R&D) Conference and Workshop 2023,” over one hundred participants, including local and international speakers, discussed the benefits of machine learning, natural language processing, robotics, computer vision, and deep learning applied to health, education, mobility, the environment, disaster risk reduction (DRR), industries, and smart and sustainable cities and communities.

Renato Solidum Jr, DOST Secretary acknowledged that AI has the potential to increase human productivity by automating routine tasks, analysing massive amounts of data, learning new information, and making well-informed decisions.

He added that they focused on the four investment pillars, and as a result, DOST has pledged financial support for the Philippines’ rapid scientific development in this area so that the nation can fully benefit from AI technologies.

Secretary Renato confirmed that the DOST has been collaborating with multiple stakeholders to make the AI R&D framework for 2019–2029 beneficial for its intended beneficiaries. The framework focuses on building a national infrastructure, which includes:

AI R&D centres;
Empowering more professionals through DOST-PCIEERD training and development; and
Encouraging more mission-driven programmes with unique applications.

He has emphasised that the Philippines are also enhancing its workforce’s capabilities. In collaboration with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), the Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP), and an open online course provider, three (3) AI Pinas training have produced 143 graduates.

Through the Smarter Philippines and R&D, Training, and Adoption (SPARTA) project, he hopes to upskill and launch the data science careers of the nation’s workforce as they aim to have 50,000 Filipino data scientists by 2029 to meet the needs and demands of the industry as they undergo digital transformation.

Dr Lyre Anni Murao, Chancellor of UP Mindanao, on the other hand, urged the use of AI to help with daily tasks, stating that AI should be given more credit for improving the quality of life and strengthening the capacity to contribute to global development.

On the other hand, Dr Enrico C. Paringit, Executive Director of the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), stated that the “AI for Better Normal” investments, made possible in June 2021, have put them at the forefront of using AI to advance innovation in the country, as they have supported impactful AI projects across the country.

DOST-PCIEERD, as a leader and partner in enabling innovations in the Philippines, ensures that it strengthens local capabilities in the region. Initiatives like this strengthen ties with more developed countries and foster new collaborations that can spur future socioeconomic growth.

The event themed “Artificial Intelligence Driving Transformation and Impact in the Digital Age,” provided a forum for experts, researchers, professionals, enthusiasts, and prospective beneficiaries to update the R&D roadmap and develop a national AI R&D programme.

Thailand Supports Digital Entrepreneurs to Cultivate Innovations

Thailand organised discussions to share ideas and insights among the various parties involved in the digital startup ecosystem in Thailand. Digital advancements were discussed at a meeting between Dr Chinawut Chinaprayoon, Executive Vice President of the Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), and representatives from the Institute for Digital Startup Promotion and the Lower Northern Branch office in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai and Province of Phitsanulok.

Dr Chinawut convened a meeting with senior executives and professors from the faculties of engineering and the lower northern science park at Naresuan University, the faculty of engineering and the lower north science park at Phibunsongkhram Rajabhat University, and a group of young businessmen from the Phitsanulok Chamber of Commerce (YEC Phitsanulok).

To that end, Depa is prepared to give full attention to boosting local businesses and bolstering local entrepreneurs. Dr Chinawut emphasised the need to work together to define problems and goals to move forward as a team towards increasing digital technology exports at the national level.

Depa provided resources, such as guidance, measure and financing, to help and promote digital startup firms. The seed money aims to help new business owners get their operations up and running so they can start selling their wares to customers. The agency also provides Depa with a digital service that helps advertise, expand into new markets, and test new products. To further boost the acquisition of clients and target groups at the spot, they also developed a depa mini-Transformation Voucher.

While to encourage digital entrepreneurship growth, depa created a digital entrepreneur competition, HACKaTHAILAND 2023. Depa managed the HACKaTHAILAND 2023 competition roadshow to showcase digital initiatives and innovation in the country’s lower northern region. About 13 digital startups are competing, representing various industries and technology. To the qualified judges, they exhibit prototypes of digital solutions that will be developed to fulfil the needs of the digital economy and society. The judges come from various backgrounds, including the academic setting, startup organisations, startup founders, and the corporate world.

The judges are Ratchawut Pichayaphan, Founder of Fixi Co., Ltd.; Thanawit Tonkanya, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Horganai Limited; Sarawut Sattayawee, Assistant to the President Department of International Relations and Technology Transfer Naresuan University; Thanapat Rakpaisate.

Five further iterations of the HACKaTHAILAND 2023 Roadshow are scheduled to take place. Three rising star teams from the lower north area are qualified for the August final round of ideas competition in Bangkok.

1. The ATTRA group Digital business card-style authentication and identification platform ATTRA CARD. It has infinite potential for its new positions as a Portfolio Storage and is helpful to centralise your contacts and activity logs.

2. The Experience is a Service Marketplace for jobs, events, and other services, and it also lets people exchange knowledge in their preferred roles. Assist in shaping how each student achieves their full academic potential by focusing on developing individualised intellectual abilities and competencies, allowing for more leeway in the classroom and using study results and their interpretation.

3. DeliConn: A Reconciling Delivery Platform A method that speeds up the reconciliation process and saves accountants’ time. Thailand has been working to strengthen its internal manufacturing management and reduce waste and industrial production using digital technology solutions. DEPA and a national bank organised Digital Smart Manufacturing (DSM) training to help businesses learn the fundamentals of digital manufacturing.

The programme is meant to help Thailand achieve its goal of becoming a “Digital Thailand” by the year 2037. The country’s digital growth policy and plan were unveiled at a global conference held in Barcelona, Spain. The national programme is meant to propel the digitalisation of the economic and social strategy for 2018-2037.

EKSKLUSIF! Efektif Kelola dan Lindungi Data di Era Informasi

Di era digital, data telah muncul sebagai sumber daya strategis nasional yang vital dan memiliki peran yang semakin penting dalam pemerintahan. Namun, tantangan pengelolaan data terus bermunculan. Perbaikan pengelolaan dan manajemen data bisa meningkatkan kualitas data yang disediakan agar bisa digunakan untuk menakar risiko dalam pengambilan keputusan. Peningkatan kualitas data dilakukan untuk memastikan bahwa data yang tersedia akurat, andal, aman, dan dapat diakses saat dibutuhkan.

Saat ini, data menjadi senjata utama untuk memenangkan persaingan. Ketersediaan data yang berkualitas jadi kian penting. Organisasi perlu membuat dan menerapkan manajemen data yang terintegrasi. Untuk membuka potensi data seutuhnya, penting bagi organisasi untuk menetapkan infrastruktur, peraturan, dan standar yang diperlukan. Untuk memanfaatkan aset data tersebut, organisasi harus memprioritaskan pengoptimalan proses tata kelola dan manajemen data yang efektif.

Selain itu, sumber daya manusia yang mengelola data pun patut menjadi bahan perhitungan. Institusi dan pemangku kepentingan dalam ekosistem tata kelola data harus memiliki keterampilan, sumber daya, dan insentif yang tepat untuk menjalankan tugas mereka secara efektif dan memaksimalkan nilai data mereka.

Masalah keamanan menjadi persoalan lain yang mengganjal. Serangan siber dan pembobolan data menjadi ancaman signifikan bagi negara dan bisnis di seluruh dunia. Sebagai konsekuensi, baik sektor publik maupun swasta harus terus mencari berbagai cara efektif untuk mengatasi masalah keamanan yang semakin mendesak.

Data akan memberikan insight yang lebih baik jika terjadi integrasi data dari berbagai sumber. Tujuan utama integrasi data adalah untuk menghilangkan silo dan menyediakan akses untuk berbagi data dengan aman di dalam organisasi. Hal ini dicapai lewat kolaborasi untuk menyelaraskan data di berbagai sistem.

Perbaikan tata kelola dan sistem manajemen data ini bisa dilakukan Thailand melalui kolaborasi antara pemerintah, bisnis, dan pemangku kepentingan lain. OpenGov Breakfast Insight, pada 16 Maret 2023 di Amari Watergate Bangkok, menyampaikan informasi terkini tentang kebijakan, peraturan, dan kerangka kerja tata kelola data untuk mendorong peningkatan kualitas, akurasi, dan membuka wawasan pengelolaan data bagi pemerintahan Thailand.

Sambutan

Mohit Sagar OpenGov Asia — Mohit Sagar Mengelola dan berbagi data untuk mendapat manfaat berlipat dari sumber minyak baru

Meski data dianggap sebagai tambang minyak baru, namun tata kelola data yang buruk membuat mereka enggan berbagi data itu dengan pihak lain. Imbasnya, data hanya menjadi tumpukan di penyimpanan tanpa manfaat maksimal.

Untuk itu, Mohit Sagar, CEO dan Pimpinan Redaksi OpenGov Asia, menekankan organisasi perlu memiliki kebijakan tata kelola data yang efektif untuk keberhasilan kolaborasi antar departemen di pemerintahan. Tata kelola ini diperlukan untuk memastikan bahwa data dibagikan dengan aman, benar, dan sesuai dengan undang-undang dan peraturan yang berlaku.

“Sudah sejak lama data dianggap sumber minyak baru. Tapi, apakah kita berbagi data? Banyak organisasi tidak berani membagikannya. Mereka menyembunyikannya, atau menahannya. Karena menurut mereka, data itu sangat berharga sehingga data tersebut tidak boleh dibagikan. Sebagian berkilah (belum berbagi data) lantaran belum memiliki tata kelola data yang baik,” papar Mohit.

Namun, data hanya bisa bermanfaat jika diolah. Bahkan, data bisa memberikan perspektif dan insight menarik dan solutif jika dikolaborasikan dengan data dari organisasi-organisasi yang berbeda. Tidak seperti minyak bumi yang sekali pakai akan habis, data bisa memberikan manfaat berulang kali. Pengguna bisa mendapat manfaat dan insight yang berbeda, tergantung dari cara pengolahan data.

Lantas, mengapa tata kelola data menjadi penting? Manajemen data yang efektif dapat menjadi fondasi untuk mendukung pemerintahan yang terbuka. Sebab, dengan integrasi data, pemerintah bisa memastikan bahwa data yang mereka miliki ditangani secara transparan, bertanggung jawab, dan aman. Sehingga, data-data itu bisa membangun pengambilan keputusan yang lebih baik oleh para pejabat pemerintah dan publik.

Tata kelola data yang baik membantu pengelola untuk mengetahui siapa pemilik dan pengakses data yang sah. Tata kelola ini juga membuat para pegawai non teknis untuk mengakses, mengubah, dan menganalisis data untuk membantu pekerjaan mereka Sehingga, mereka tidak perlu bergantung pada karyawan TI untuk mengolah data itu. Hal ini memberikan dampak baik pada pengambilan keputusan yang lebih cepat dan lebih terinformasi di seluruh lini organisasi.

Namun, keamanan data juga patut mendapat sorotan. Keamanan siber adalah komponen penting dalam tata kelola data. Sebab, hal itu bisa melindungi informasi sensitif dari akses yang tidak sah, memastikan privasi dan kerahasiaan data, serta mengurangi risiko serangan siber atau pelanggaran data. Jika hal ini lalai diawasi, maka akan membahayakan integritas operasi pemerintah dan kepercayaan warga terhadap pemerintah.

“Anda tidak dapat bersembunyi di balik kata keamanan atau privasi sebagai tameng untuk tidak memanfaatkan data yang Anda miliki. Pakai data yang Anda miliki untuk memberi wawasan dan perbaikan layanan,” tandas Mohit

Pembuka

Transformasi dan perubahan digital diadopsi dengan cepat oleh berbagai organisasi. Oleh karena itu, IBM membantu adopsi ini dengan berbagai dukungan dan layanan teknologi. Pawasut Seewirot, Software Country Leader IBM Thailand, menyebut perusahaannya memiliki banyak solusi untuk membantu klien mengelola dan mendapat manfaat terbaik dari data mereka, mulai dari software, AI, hingga automasi.

Pawasut menyebut IBM bisa membantu meningkatkan pemahaman tentang konsep tata kelola data yang baik, termasuk masalah privasi dan keamanan. Mereka juga menyediakan solusi pengelolaan data dengan automatisasi dan kecerdasan buatan.

“Platform data sangat penting untuk memaksimalkan nilai data Anda. Kami siap berdiskusi untuk memecahkan masalah Anda menggunakan teknik Design Thinking atau teknik lain,” kata Pawasut.

Gabungan dari beberapa teknologi ini telah memungkinkan IBM melakukan berbagai automatisasi. Solusi ini bisa digunakan oleh para pemimpin bisnis sembari tetap menjaga keamanan dan privasi data pengguna.

Untuk mengamankan data, IBM memiliki strategi keamanan siber berlapis untuk membentengi sistem dari kejahatan dunia maya. Peretasan sistem bisa mengganggu operasional bisnis imbas dari akses yang tidak sah, perubahan atau penghancuran data, hingga pemerasan (ransomware).

Sistem keamanan yang kompleks membuat biaya membangun keamanan sistem kian membengkak akibat perbedaan teknologi dan kurangnya keahlian dari internal organisasi. Untuk menekan biaya, organisasi dapat menerapkan strategi keamanan siber komprehensif yang memanfaatkan automasi, analitik canggih, kecerdasan buatan, dan pembelajaran mesin.

Insight Teknologi

Setelah pandemi COVID-19 melanda, permintaan data kian melonjak imbas maraknya sistem kerja dari rumah (work from home/ WFH). Usai pandemi, tetap ada keinginan untuk bisa mengakses data kapan saja dan di mana. Sehingga peningkatan Information on Demand akan tetap selalu ada.

“Dan ini adalah peluang besar, tetapi juga memberi tantangan baru setelah pandemi. Saya akan memberikan beberapa contoh penerapan hal ini di berbagai negara,” jelas Kieran Hagan, Manajer Utama Penjualan Teknis Data, AI, dan Automasi IBM.

Pertama, terkait dengan integrasi data. Pemerintah Sonoma County di Amerika Serikat (AS) telah merasakan dampak bagaimana integrasi data membantu mereka mengurangi jumlah warga yang terlantar akibat kebakaran hebat di kawasan itu. Kebakaran itu melalap habis 36 ribu are lahan dan menghanguskan seribu rumah. Banyak dari warga yang terlantar dan ditempatkan di tenda-tenda darurat. Namun, setelah dua pekan, tenda-tenda tersebut harus dibongkar dan sebagian orang tak memiliki tempat tinggal.

Akan tetapi, sistem informasi yang dimiliki oleh pemerintah AS berdiri sendiri-sendiri (silo). Pemerintah Sonoma County lantas berdiskusi dengan IBM untuk menghubungkan semua data itu, sehingga bisa diakses oleh warga dengan mudah.

IBM lalu membantu pemerintah dengan merancang strategi untuk mengintegrasikan 16 badan pemerintah lokal ke dalam satu situs yang kemudian dinamai Akses Aksi Kepedulian untuk Kemandirian (Accessing Coordinated Care to Enable Self Sufficiency/ ACCESS). “Situs ini melayani 91 ribu klien dan mengurangi jumlah warga terlantar sebanyak sembilan persen,” terang Kieran.

Kedua, terkait dengan kematangan data. Kematangan data berkaitan erat dengan DataOps. Fungsi DataOps mirip dengan DevOps namun dikhususkan dalam konteks manajemen data. Data memiliki aliran dan prosesnya sendiri, sehingga fungsi DataOps adalah mengatur alur data yang disimpan dalam jumlah besar. Jadi, DataOps hadir untuk membuat aliran informasi agar lebih mudah dikonsumsi oleh analis dan data scientist untuk diekstrak menjadi insight.

Dalam kasus ini, IBM membantu Bank ING. Bank yang berdiri secara global itu memiliki informasi yang terpisah (silo) dengan 14 ribu cabang yang tersebar di berbagai negara. Pada 2014, mereka berdiskusi dengan IBM untuk membuat semantic information layer agar semua cabang mereka bisa mengakses satu sumber informasi yang sama.

Mereka lantas mengembangkan layanan itu menggunakan layanan open source yang digabungkan dengan teknologi IBM agar bisa membuka akses jaringan ke semua perusahaan mereka di berbagai belahan dunia lewat proyek Egeria.

“Platform ini menjadi penggerak teknologi yang bagus, walaupun industri perbankan pada dasarnya terikat dengan berbagai peraturan dan hukum yang ketat. Mereka tetap bisa menjaga keamanan, sembari mendapat kebebasan akses data.”

Hal serupa terjadi pada pemerintah provinsi Odisha, India. Proses manual membuat mereka kesulitan untuk membayarkan paket bantuan sosial. Mereka bermasalah dengan penipuan (fraud), data yang tidak lengkap, dan mesti menyelia 45 juta dokumen, mulai dari SIM, arsip pajak, pensiun, hingga asuransi. Dengan automasi data, mereka berhasil mengurangi 60% pekerjaan penyelidikan secara manual dan menemukan 500.000 kasus kesalahan pembayaran ke orang yang tidak tepat sasaran.

Program ini dinilai sangat berhasil, sebab membuat pekerjaan pemerintah menjadi lebih efisien dan membuat program kesejahteraan lebih tepat sasaran. Selain itu, biaya yang dihemat lewat automasi membuat kelebihan pendanaan dapat dialihkan ke program lain.

“Ini adalah contoh di mana akses informasi dapat memberikan hasil dan meningkatkan penghematan,” tegas Kieran. “Perubahan yang bisa menghasilkan layanan masyarakat yang lebih baik, tetapi juga menciptakan program-program baru.”

Ketika berbicara soal pengelolaan data dengan kecerdasan buatan (artificial intelligence/ AI), Kieran salut dengan upaya pemerintah Thailand. Negara itu tengah gencar melakukan pembaruan kebijakan dan mendorong peningkatan sumber daya manusia di bidang AI.

Banyak organisasi tengah menggandrungi AI. Sebagai contoh, pada 2018, pengembangan AI hanya mendapat porsi 15% dari anggaran organisasi pada umumnya. Namun, saat ini dana pengembangan AI naik hingga 52% anggaran.

“Tetapi sebagian besar organisasi tidak dapat menggunakan AI kecuali hasil rekomendasinya terpercaya. Anda harus bisa menjelaskan bagaimana AI bisa mendapat jawaban itu. Ini adalah sebuah tantangan,” tegasnya.

Dalam kasus ini, IBM membantu sebuah agensi pemerintah di Eropa yang ingin melihat analitik media sosial dengan memanfaatkan teknologi open source untuk mengetahui perkembangan isu yang terjadi di media sosial dan siap siaga jika terjadi situasi darurat.

Kerja sama keduanya menunjukkan bahwa pengawasan dan pengolahan data dari berbagai sumber di media sosial dengan AI tetap bisa dilakukan tanpa melanggar privasi warga. Platform yang mereka buat tetap bisa mematuhi aturan privasi data GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) Eropa yang ketat.

Fireside chat: Membangun data menjadi insight

Menurut Dr Supot Tiarawut, Presiden & CEO Badan Pengembangan Pemerintah Digital, terminologi data sebagai sumber minyak baru sudah muncul dalam 10 tahun terakhir. Namun, dalam praktiknya, hal ini masih sebatas slogan di atas kertas karena masih banyak pemerintah yang belum bisa mengoptimalkan penggunaan data yang mereka punya. Sehingga banyak proses administrasi yang masih dilakukan secara manual menggunakan kertas, terutama pada pemerintahan daerah.

“Mereka bahkan hanya akan memindai kertas itu dan diunggah ke dalam sistem untuk membuatnya menjadi digital. Jadi, saya pikir itu masalah yang cukup besar, karena kami tidak mendapatkan data yang benar-benar digital,” tuturnya.

Untuk melakukan tata kelola data, Supot menyebut tidak ada satu solusi yang tepat untuk semua. Maksudnya, solusi yang cocok untuk satu organisasi tidak bisa langsung disalin dan tempel ke organisasi lain. Tata kelola mesti disesuaikan dengan kebutuhan organisasi tersebut.

“Anda mesti punya definisi yang jelas mengapa perlu tata kelola data seperti apa yang ingin dibangun,” jelasnya.

Ia pun sepaham soal pentingnya kolaborasi data antar organisasi pemerintahan. Menurutnya, memiliki sumber data yang lebih kaya bisa membantu membuat kebijakan yang lebih komprehensif dan membuat keputusan yang lebih baik. Pertukaran data bisa memfasilitasi penyediaan layanan yang lebih baik ke masyarakat.

Untuk mendorong integrasi data, Supot membeberkan langkah yang sudah dilakukan pemerintah Thailand. Supot mendorong badan pemerintah di Thailand untuk menentukan tujuan-tujuan mereka, bukan dengan memberikan buku petunjuk saja. Pertama, pihaknya membuat kelompok kerja data teknis. Namun, kebanyakan organisasi itu tidak tahu data apa saja yang mereka miliki. Sehingga, Supot meminta mereka untuk membuat katalog data yang dikombinasikan dengan Open Data.

Setelah tujuan manajemen data ditentukan, pihaknya lantas memberikan tuntunan untuk menerapkan teknologi yang dibutuhkan. Setelah setahun berjalan, ternyata mereka menemukan kalau data yang mereka dikumpulkan tidak begitu menarik. Sehingga, dalam setahun ke depan mereka akan mencoba untuk mengumpulkan data berdasarkan permintaan pengguna. Mereka akan melakukan diskusi dengan pemakai data, apa saja data yang dibutuhkan. Setelah data tersebut masuk dalam sistem dan proses tata kelola data, maka langkah selanjutnya adalah melakukan perlindungan data. Hal ini diperlukan agar tidak terjadi kebocoran data.

Penutup

Pada akhirnya, Pawasut mendorong peningkatan orang-orang yang memiliki keterampilan manajemen data agar organisasi bisa lebih kompetitif dengan data yang mereka punya. Namun, membina tenaga terampil membutuhkan waktu. Sehingga, jika perubahan manajemen data perlu dilakukan dalam waktu singkat, bantuan pihak ketiga seperti IBM bisa dimanfaatkan.

“Mengubah budaya organisasi adalah tugas yang sulit, memakan waktu, dan perlu usaha yang berkelanjutan. Jika Anda membutuhkan bantuan untuk melakukan workshop inovasi, kami siap membantu,” tuturnya.

Di sisi lain, Mohit menyatakan bahwa keberhasilan pengembangan tata kelola data bergantung pada efektivitas kolaborasi. Selain itu, diperlukan kepemimpinan yang kompeten agar inovasi organisasi bisa berjalan tepat dan agresif.

Menurutnya, sulit untuk mengubah kultur organisasi dengan teknologi jika pemimpin organisasi itu tidak memahami teknologi. Sehingga ia menghimbau untuk mempercepat inovasi dalam organisasi, di mana setiap individu dapat menjadi pembawa perubahan itu.

Sebagai penutup, Mohit kembali menekankan pentingnya kolaborasi. Sebab, tujuan kemitraan digital adalah agar bisnis dan organisasi bisa lebih kompetitif dan memanfaatkan kekuatan satu sama lain, agar bisa memberikan layanan yang lebih baik kepada pengguna dan masyarakat.

March 30, 2023

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