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Symantec extends security response network to SEA

[UPDATE] Company's Singapore-based facility will monitor emerging Internet threats in Southeast Asia and will act as catalyst for improving region's cybersecurity knowhow.
Written by Liau Yun Qing, Contributor

SINGAPORE--Symantec on Wednesday announces the opening of its first security response center in Southeast Asia, which will focus on monitoring the region's online threat landscape and improving cybersecurity knowledge.

The company said in a statement that the center will boost its regional coverage and allow it to "identify and analyze emerging Internet security threats, deliver protection, and provide informed commentary on new trends observed in cyberattacks".

During the briefing, Bernard Kwok, senior vice president for Asia-Pacific and Japan at Symantec, noted that setting up the facility here will allow the company to tap the region's talent pool as well as Singapore's "world-class research environment". Symantec will be investing S$20 million (US$16.1 million) in the facility over a five-year period, he said.

Kwok added the institute will be a "catalyst" for bringing cybersecurity knowhow into Singapore and Southeast Asia region. "This is a win-win for both Symantec and Singapore as cybersecurity requires the efforts of both the private and public sectors, collaborating closely to raise awareness and combat the threat of cybercrimes," he said.

The company chose to set up a security center in Singapore because of the various advantages the country has, said Kwok. Singapore is a regional hub for many multinational corporations, has a business-friendly environment with strong intellectual property (IP) protection and enforcement as well as support from government agencies such as the Economic Development Board, the executive added.

Focus on network security, cloud, advanced threat
During the briefing, Eugene Teo, manager for security response in Singapore, said the local facility will be part of Symantec's 15 security response centers worldwide with four key centers in Tokyo, Japan; Chengdu, China; Dublin, Ireland; and Culver City, United States.

The Singapore-based center will focus on analyzing network security, cloud security and advanced threat response, said Teo. He added that Singapore is the third country to have a team working on advanced threat response after Dublin and Culver City.

The local facility currently has 10 employees "as a start" and has plans to grow the headcount, Teo noted. He added that the center is looking for highly skilled IT professionals who are able to write and reassemble code and understand how programs interact with each other.

Asked to comment on specific security trends in the Southeast Asian region, Teo said the security landscape is "borderless and threats are the same wherever the user is at". However, he noted that security threats will increase in the form of target attacks, attacks on social networking sites and the mobile platform.

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