Cybersecurity is a key enabler for Singapore’s digitally-enabled economy and society. Developed after a consultation process with 50 stakeholders* over the past year, the strategy sets out Singapore’s vision, goals and priorities in the area of cybersecurity and outlines the country’s commitment to build a resilient and trusted cyber environment for Singapore and Singaporeans. Four pillars underpin the strategy:
- Building a resilient infrastructure;
- Creating a safer cyberspace;
- Developing a vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem; and
- Strengthening international partnerships
A resilient infrastructure
The government will work with key stakeholders, including private sector operators and the cybersecurity community, to strengthen the resilience of critical information infrastructure (CII) that supports essential services. The government will establish robust and systematic cyber risk management processes, as well as response and recovery plans, across all critical sectors. To do so, it is necessary to grow a culture of cyber-risk awareness across CIIs.
The increased adoption of security-by-design** practices to address cybersecurity issues across the supply chain will remain an important focus. A new Cybersecurity Act will also be introduced in 2017, to provide a comprehensive legal framework for national cybersecurity.
A safer cyberspace
The strategy outlines efforts by various agencies to combat cybercrime and to enhance Singapore’s standing as a trusted data hub. These initiatives include the National Cybercrime Action Plan, launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs in July 2016. To promote collective responsibility for cybersecurity, communities and business associations should play their part by fostering their members’ understanding of cybersecurity issues and promoting the adoption of good practices.
A vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem
An active cybersecurity ecosystem will provide a sustainable source of expertise and capabilities for resilient infrastructure and a safer cyberspace. It will also bring Singapore to the forefront of cybersecurity innovation and create economic opportunities for Singaporeans.
A safer cyberspace
The strategy outlines efforts by various agencies to combat cybercrime and to enhance Singapore’s standing as a trusted data hub. These initiatives include the National Cybercrime Action Plan, launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs in July 2016. To promote collective responsibility for cybersecurity, communities and business associations should play their part by fostering their members’ understanding of cybersecurity issues and promoting the adoption of good practices.
A vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem
An active cybersecurity ecosystem will provide a sustainable source of expertise and capabilities for resilient infrastructure and a safer cyberspace. It will also bring Singapore to the forefront of cybersecurity innovation and create economic opportunities for Singaporeans.
The government will collaborate with industry partners and institutes of higher learning to grow the cybersecurity workforce. Scholarship programmes and industry-oriented curricula will be introduced, while upskilling and reskilling opportunities for mid-career professionals will be provided through initiatives such as the Cyber Security Associates and Technologists Programme. The government will also partner the private sector and academia to develop technologically-advanced companies, nurture local startups, and harness research & development (R&D).
Strengthening international partnerships
Singapore is committed to strong international collaboration for our collective global security. Singapore will actively cooperate with the international community, particularly ASEAN, to address transnational cybersecurity and cybercrime issues. Singapore will also champion initiatives for cyber capacity building, as well as facilitate global exchanges on cyber norms, policy and legislation. The Singapore International Cyber Week and ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity are examples of platforms to promote such exchanges.
The strategy will be overseen by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), which was established under the Prime Minister’s Office and managed by the Ministry of Communications and Information to provide dedicated, centralised oversight of national cyber security functions, and works with sector leads to protect Singapore’s critical services.
The announcement follows the announcement of the establishment of the new Government Technology Agency (GovTech) in Singapore, which will spearhead the government’s digital and data strategy. It will partner public agencies, industry and citizens to transform public service delivery through the use of technologies such as data science and analytics, artificial intelligence and machine learning.
At the launch of GovTech last week Minister for Communications and Information Dr Yaacob Ibrahim said that GovTech - which manages the national digital identity SingPass – and the Ministry of Finance will partner the Monetary Authority of Singapore over the next year to explore extending the use of consent-based personal data platform MyInfo to the financial sector. The proof-of-concept aims to simplify citizens’ interactions with banks by eliminating the provision of personal documents for verification.
Another initiative addressing citizens’ needs is Parents Gateway which will bring greater convenience to parents on school matters such as fee payments and signing of consent forms. The Ministry of Education and GovTech will be testing out the Parents Gateway concept at five schools beginning November 2016.
Businesses will also benefit from GovTech’s move to streamline government-business transactions. For instance, CorpPass was launched last month as a new single corporate digital identity for businesses and other entities - such as non-profit organisations and associations - to transact with government agencies online without the need to handle multiple login IDs. CorpPass is currently being progressively rolled out, up to December 2017.
GovTech will additionally oversee the public sector’s ICT infrastructure, putting in place policies for critical infrastructure and cybersecurity to enable the operation of a secure and resilient Smart Nation. As part of efforts to ensure that ICT systems are interoperable and to make the most of recent advances in technology, GovTech will be developing standards in areas such as data and IoT, as well as continue to conduct bulk tenders for the government’s ICT needs.
In line with capability building and talent development, GovTech will also expand on the Smart Nation Fellowship Programme which was first launched in March 2016. The first two Smart Nation Fellows – selected from nearly 300 applicants - have been starting their stints progressively with GovTech’s Government Digital Services unit at Hive since July 2016.
GovTech will create platforms to enable citizen and industry’s co-creation of citizen-centric digital services. GovTech has revamped the government’s open data portal, data.gov.sg, to include a developers’ portal where developers and industry can tap on the application programming interfaces (APIs) in the site to create useful applications.
Citizens are actively encouraged to help GovTech to refine user experience design of digital services and take part in focus groups in GovTech’s Digital Experience Lab. This will enable GovTech and its public sector partners to design and deliver meaningful products and solutions tailored to citizens’ needs.
Jacqueline Poh, Chief Executive, GovTech, said in a statement at the time of the launch: “Technology is playing a disruptive role in many sectors and government must tap on it in new ways to deliver better value to citizens. The formation of GovTech marks a new chapter in the way we use technology to improve the wide range of services and touchpoints that the public sector has with our citizens and businesses.
“GovTech will build on the strong foundation established by the Government Chief Information Office to support the building of a Smart Nation. Key to our mission will be collaborating closely with citizens, industry and various public sector agencies, to create the next generation of innovative and meaningful digital experiences.”
At the launch of GovTech last week Minister for Communications and Information Dr Yaacob Ibrahim said that GovTech - which manages the national digital identity SingPass – and the Ministry of Finance will partner the Monetary Authority of Singapore over the next year to explore extending the use of consent-based personal data platform MyInfo to the financial sector. The proof-of-concept aims to simplify citizens’ interactions with banks by eliminating the provision of personal documents for verification.
Another initiative addressing citizens’ needs is Parents Gateway which will bring greater convenience to parents on school matters such as fee payments and signing of consent forms. The Ministry of Education and GovTech will be testing out the Parents Gateway concept at five schools beginning November 2016.
Businesses will also benefit from GovTech’s move to streamline government-business transactions. For instance, CorpPass was launched last month as a new single corporate digital identity for businesses and other entities - such as non-profit organisations and associations - to transact with government agencies online without the need to handle multiple login IDs. CorpPass is currently being progressively rolled out, up to December 2017.
GovTech will further collaborate with Singapore Customs to build the National Trade Platform, a one-stop next-generation trade information management platform to support companies in the trade and logistics industry, as well as adjacent sectors such as trade finance.
GovTech will also play an important role in the building of Smart Nation infrastructure, platforms and applications by deploying information communications technology (ICT) and related engineering such as the Internet of Things (IoT). The Smart Nation Platform (or SNP) is being developed by GovTech with common infrastructure and services such as a data sharing gateway, video and data analytics capabilities. This helps public agencies with their sensor deployment needs, the sharing of data collected and data analytics to support needs like urban planning and incident response. The SNP is envisioned to help public agencies in the efficient running of the city, including the provision of public services such as smart mobility and smart utility management.
GovTech will also play an important role in the building of Smart Nation infrastructure, platforms and applications by deploying information communications technology (ICT) and related engineering such as the Internet of Things (IoT). The Smart Nation Platform (or SNP) is being developed by GovTech with common infrastructure and services such as a data sharing gateway, video and data analytics capabilities. This helps public agencies with their sensor deployment needs, the sharing of data collected and data analytics to support needs like urban planning and incident response. The SNP is envisioned to help public agencies in the efficient running of the city, including the provision of public services such as smart mobility and smart utility management.
GovTech will additionally oversee the public sector’s ICT infrastructure, putting in place policies for critical infrastructure and cybersecurity to enable the operation of a secure and resilient Smart Nation. As part of efforts to ensure that ICT systems are interoperable and to make the most of recent advances in technology, GovTech will be developing standards in areas such as data and IoT, as well as continue to conduct bulk tenders for the government’s ICT needs.
GovTech will raise technical capability across the public sector by building and strengthening in-house technical expertise and capabilities in six areas - application development, cybersecurity, data science, geospatial technology, government ICT infrastructure and sensors & IoT. For example, GovTech’s Data Science team is working with various government economic agencies on Pulse of the Economy, an initiative that uses high-frequency big data to develop new indicators for better economic and urban planning.
In line with capability building and talent development, GovTech will also expand on the Smart Nation Fellowship Programme which was first launched in March 2016. The first two Smart Nation Fellows – selected from nearly 300 applicants - have been starting their stints progressively with GovTech’s Government Digital Services unit at Hive since July 2016.
GovTech will create platforms to enable citizen and industry’s co-creation of citizen-centric digital services. GovTech has revamped the government’s open data portal, data.gov.sg, to include a developers’ portal where developers and industry can tap on the application programming interfaces (APIs) in the site to create useful applications.
Citizens are actively encouraged to help GovTech to refine user experience design of digital services and take part in focus groups in GovTech’s Digital Experience Lab. This will enable GovTech and its public sector partners to design and deliver meaningful products and solutions tailored to citizens’ needs.
Jacqueline Poh, Chief Executive, GovTech, said in a statement at the time of the launch: “Technology is playing a disruptive role in many sectors and government must tap on it in new ways to deliver better value to citizens. The formation of GovTech marks a new chapter in the way we use technology to improve the wide range of services and touchpoints that the public sector has with our citizens and businesses.
“GovTech will build on the strong foundation established by the Government Chief Information Office to support the building of a Smart Nation. Key to our mission will be collaborating closely with citizens, industry and various public sector agencies, to create the next generation of innovative and meaningful digital experiences.”
Interested?
Read Singapore’s Cybersecurity Strategy
*Comprising government agencies, business and professional associations, private companies and academic institutions
**Security by design refers to building security into a design from the beginning.
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