Innovative approaches may help in Singapore's cyber-defence

AS an emerging growth sector, cybersecurity in Singapore is projected to grow by about 9 per cent a year to reach around S$900 million by 2020, potentially providing more than 5,000 additional jobs over the period.

The government also announced in parliament this week a new Cybersecurity Professional Scheme to attract, develop and retain cybersecurity practitioners in the public sector. Centrally managed by the Cyber Security Agency (CSA), the scheme will develop a core of cybersecurity specialists to be deployed across agencies to support Singapore's cyber-defences.

From a purely economic perspective, creation of new high-skill jobs for Singaporeans is good news, especially in the cybersecurity sector where there is a global shortage of skilled professionals. However, the government's effort to build up capabilities in this sector is not just an economic objective. This effort is vital from a national defence perspective as well, because cyber-defence is now part of Singapore's Total Defence, a framework for an all-round response to threats and challenges.