SECURING INFORMATION DATA


‘Several 2020 Asia Pacific reports from security solutions providers, who surveyed more than 500 Asia Pacific executives from India, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and other countries, suggested that about 30% of Asia Pacific organisations admitted to having been breached last year.’


in the broader plan of security updates. But, when it comes to physical security initiatives in Asia, the challenges managers face include cultural diversity and language differences. This, along with evolving geopolitical threats, involves working with local business units to understand the scenario and plan a response better. Understanding local sentiments in Asia is critical to make a successful security manager in international firms. Despite several political instabilities in Asia, the region is forging ahead in terms of business growth, and security managers and firms face several challenges in terms of physical updates to be planned under these relatively calm circumstances. In certain politically volatile regions, feelings also run high and the threat of workplace violence also means that security comes up with regular updates for mitigation strategies. Businesses usually regard security as a cost centre and to upgrade security requires a strong case to justify upgrades as well as effective communication skills and leadership awareness, and the will to implement more secure systems.


Many firms now also conduct drills and interactive sessions to promote security awareness among employees. These include


dos and don’ts of local culture in terms of body language and choice of words. This differs immensely from region to region and can be interpreted differently. Drills include planning months in advance to ensure critical business function times are not encroached upon.


Protocol changes and trial initiatives in lieu of the pandemic


The only time this protocol changes is when a natural disaster strikes, and the Asia Pacific region has had its share of floods, earthquakes, landslides, and typhoons. In Korea and Taiwan, for example, the phone tree system is used, and a crises response team is established to respond to emergency situations. In Japan, the resilient development includes the private sector under the Sendai framework, a global disaster dossier prepared for 2015-2030 which involves the private sector for its potential to exacerbate or minimise the impact of natural disasters. Security practices also underwent several changes in lieu of the pandemic. Many security systems, initiatives and practises are having to change during and post Covid -19. To enforcing social distance, there is a departure from the traditional roles and responsibilities. While asset


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control and protection remain the same, the physical security teams work collaboratively with stakeholders and leadership to ensure work from home and social distancing measures, in the case of gatherings, are allowed in special cases.


‘The shift of global


digitalization brings more challenges and risk exposures on cyber security.’


Security teams are now getting into more critical challenges for their businesses. Discussions with internal stakeholders to assess counterfeiting risk of prioritised brands and to liaise with Law Enforcement Agencies are a case in point. Security teams conduct audits of product destruction vendors to avoid leakage, and participate in trade compliance investigations including site visits and interviews. Product security and supply chain securities, and physical security, are now routine jobs. But with ecommerce and flexible imports and exports, the online risk has reached new heights. With more and more anonymous online connections, protecting brand reputation is becoming more difficult. With globalisation playing out more actively in the Asia Pacific region, some of the experience of security managers is immeasurable. More and more security companies are venturing into international markets as more security mangers are moving into Asia Pacific, which indicates changes in the security scenario in Asia. According to Lina Li, TAPA APAC’s Chairperson, who is also Head of Security, Asia, at Signify: “The shift of global digitalization brings more challenges and risk exposures on cyber security. Taking action to protect the business and network from cyber threats should be an important priority for security practitioners like us when looking to innovate and introduce new technologies. It also requires us to actively pursue learning, not only on new technologies but also on how to spot new risks emerging from those new solutions, together with risk mitigation measures.”


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