Highlights from Cybersecurity Innovation Day 2019

The inaugural Cybersecurity Innovation Day 2019, an initiative by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), was held on 1 August 2019. The event, which was co-organised by TNB Ventures, in partnership with ICE71 and the Singapore Cybersecurity Consortium, took place at Marina Mandarin Hotel, and saw a good turnout of more than 450 cybersecurity professionals. 

At the event, Mr David Koh, Chief Executive of CSA, delivered the opening remarks, highlighting the importance of cybersecurity innovation for Singapore to grow as a Digital and Smart Nation, as well as the need for collaborations between users and the industry to develop innovative cybersecurity solutions. He also invited attendees to the launch of the 2019 Cybersecurity Industry Call for Innovation at the Singapore International Cyber Week on 2 October 2019. Mr Daryl Pereira, Head of Cybersecurity Consulting at KPMG, spoke about emerging cybersecurity trends and opportunities at the event.

Mr David Koh on his tour of the event space, which saw a total of 22 booths set up by companies, government agencies and partners of CSA

Vibrant discussions took place during the networking sessions, where attendees were able to interact with companies which benefited from CSA’s programmes to drive innovation, adoption and entrepreneurship for local ecosystem. Companies that were supported by the ICE71 programmes and the Singapore Cybersecurity Consortium shared how they had benefitted from being a part of these programmes, providing attendees with a better understanding of the type of support they or their companies could potentially obtain. 

Companies that received CSA’s Co-Innovation and Development of Proof-of-Concept (CID-POC) funding were also present at the event to showcase their innovative cybersecurity solutions. Eight companies that were awarded with the CID-POC funding scheme gave a three-minute pitch each, to highlight how their solutions were innovative and could benefit potential cybersecurity end-users. The eight companies comprised start-ups and Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) such as Amaris AI, Attila Cybertech, Flexxon, Power Automation, Skillspar. More established companies such as Seagate and UST Global were also present.         

Industry observers felt that the establishment of Innovation Day 2019 was timely and appreciated the profiling and networking opportunities provided by TNB and CSA. Upon conclusion of the event, most companies also reported interest from venture capitalists, investors and potential customers.

Attendees expressed their thoughts on Innovation Day 2019:

It's a very successful event. We had very good opportunities to talk to the potential vendors for their solutions at the exhibition booths. We also had a better idea of what are the available solutions in the market and how we can leverage on the solutions to tackle our problem areas in the plant.

Mr Tan Kok Poh
TCISO, YTL PowerSeraya

This is a very good initiative to bring experts, solution providers and organizations together to find synergy and emergent values. The talks were very informative and they gave valuable insights into trends and the latest technology for us.

Mr Alex Lee
VP Digital Information Technology, Senoko Energy

It was interesting to see what the local start-ups were doing. They are quite innovative. It is excellent that CSA is stimulating such developments in the country. Kudos!

Mr Paul Tan Hong Tat
Director Cybersecurity, DSTA