Building digital resilience across South-east Asia

[SINGAPORE] Singapore’s digital infrastructure stands at a critical inflection point; as demand for secure and reliable digital infrastructure grows, data centre operators must proactively enhance resilience against technical disruptions, cyberthreats and physical risks.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority’s new advisory guidelines for cloud services and data centres are not merely technical recommendations – they signal a fundamental shift in how cloud service providers and data centre operators approach digital resilience. As the precursor to Singapore’s upcoming Digital Infrastructure Act, expected to be tabled in Parliament later this year, these guidelines offer a preview of how the nation plans to formalise requirements for this critical sector.

Economic stakes and impact on businesses

Singapore has cemented itself as a global digital hub, with cloud services and data centres forming the backbone of its digital economy. In fact, Singapore’s digital economy amounted to S$113 billion in 2023, contributing 17.7 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product that year, overtaking the finance and insurance sector.