ALC Wins Singapore Government
Security Contract
PDA sister organisation ALC Training will help shape the future of the Information Security Profession in Asia - and perhaps globally - as consultant to the Singapore Government's Information Security Certification Project. ALC has been awarded the prestigious contract for the provision of consultancy services to establish the Association of Infocomm Security Professionals (AINSEP).
AINSEP is a strategic initiative of the Infocommunications Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) for development of manpower capabilities under two Masterplans: Singapore's Infocomm Blueprint for the next 10 years called "Intelligent Nation 2015" (iN2015) and the Infocomm Security Masterplan (ISMP).
AINSEP will amplify Singapore's efforts in building a critical pool of competent IS professionals and in the process will reinforce Singapore's reputation as a trusted infocomm hub and as the choice regional location for hubbing critical infrastructure.
The AINSEP initiative has two primary objectives:
1. to establish a professional body in Infocomm Security charged with development of an IS Professional Roadmap and a Code of Ethics
2. to grow AINSEP into a respected international brand
By publishing a professional roadmap and articulating a set of code of ethics, AINSEP will provide assurance of an individual's competency and professional integrity. It will:
Provide career guidance to IS professionals by outlining pathways of qualifications, skills and competencies needed for upgrading and career progression.
Articulate competency standards for IS professions.
Acts as a guide for employers to plan their training and programmes and to assist in their hiring process.
As successful tenderer, ALC was required to demonstrate its ability to draw from a large reservoir of international experience, both externally and internally, to ensure that AINSEP could become an international benchmark for IS professional excellence. In this regard ALC was able to offer a powerful team approach led by ALC Director and Project Manager Matt Whelan together with ALC affiliates David Lynas from the SABSA Institute in the UK and Krag Brotby from USA. Between them, these three represent a formidable combination of international experience in IT education, certification and security.
ALC successfully competed against bids from three of the major international consultancy groups. ALC's pool of international experts was considered instrumental in this outcome.
BACKGROUND
Singapore is home to 7,000 multinationals (MNCs), most of which have regional and/or global responsibilities. These organisations open their networks to facilitate business partnerships and online transactions with customers.
Infocomm security (IS) professionals are entrusted with the increasingly onerous responsibility of securing the confidentiality, integrity and availability of their organisation's infocomm assets. In tandem with the increased responsibilities, IS professionals will be expected to possess appropriate competencies, exhibit personal integrity and demonstrate professional judgement in discharging their responsibilities.
However, given the random evolution of the IS profession, there does not appear to be widely recognized consensus on qualifications and experience for IS professionals. Also, IS professionals - the "corporate defenders" themselves - are currently not bound by a code of conduct. This is despite the fact that insiders account for nearly 80% of all computer crimes. Participants at two Chief Security Officer (CSO) Industry Roundtables hosted by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) thus provided feedback that there is a critical need to elevate the status, professionalism and trust accorded to IS professionals.
Specifically, industry captains called for the establishment of an Association of Infocomm Security Professionals (AINSEP) to govern the IS profession. This will transform IS into a distinguished profession, equal to the medical, accounting and legal professions, with a recognised body, qualifications, established career paths, mentors and career development programmes.
PDA Professional Development Associates Pte Ltd and ALC Training Pty Ltd are members of the ALC Group providing independent,leading-edge education services in IT and management for business and government throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
For further information please contact ALC matt@alc-group.com
