25 July 2007 - Opening Address By Mr Chan Yeng Kit, Chief Executive, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore At the Opening of National University of Singapore Disaster Recovery Centre cum Business Continuity Seminar, National University of Singapore High School Auditorium.
Opening Address By Mr Chan Yeng Kit, Chief Executive, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, Opening Address at the Opening of National University of Singapore Disaster Recovery Centre cum Business Continuity Seminar on 25 July 2007, National University of Singapore High School Auditorium.
Professor Shih Choon Fong,
President of the National University of Singapore,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning.
Welcome
1. First of all, let me congratulate the National University of Singapore for its inspiring aspirations, to transform NUS into a borderless computing community providing knowledge at its fingertips. With the opening of NUS' own Disaster Recovery Centre, this is one significant step towards realising that aspiration.
ICT - A Critical Infrastructure Needs BCDR
2. In this digital age, ICT has become not just a "good-to-have", but a critical infrastructure. Any organisation, whether in government, business, or even the social sector, will find its operations severely hampered, or even grind to a halt, if its computers and networks were to fail. The most important pieces of an organisation's intellectual property - its knowledge and processes - are increasingly encapsulated in its ICT systems.
3. This realisation hit home to many of us last year, when an earthquake in Taiwan severely disrupted Internet links in Asia - some of my friends told me they suffered "cold turkey" when their emails and Blackberrys went silent!
4. Maintaining a secure and robust ICT environment for government, businesses and people in Singapore is therefore paramount. The Internet and computers have given us global connectivity and brought tremendous benefits and convenience to users. It also provides a ground for criminals, terrorists and irresponsible hackers to create havoc. Therefore, defending our critical infrastructure from cyber attacks is not only crucial but necessary. Our public and private systems need to be more resilient and robust than ever.
5. Singapore's approach to ICT security and resiliency is more holistic today. We have not only enhanced our capability to secure Singapore's infrastructure and services, but we have also improved our situational awareness of cyber threats and contingency planning. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery, or BCDR in short, is increasingly recognised as a critical component of any ICT system, that allows an organisation to avoid downtime, or at least be able to recover very quickly, in any crisis.
Singapore's BCDR Standards
6. In Singapore, the ability to work together and mobilise resources in times of crisis is important. IDA, in close collaboration with the infocomm industry and the IT Standards Committee, has worked on several initiatives to help develop BCDR capabilities in our ICT industry and in the user organisations. This includes establishing industry standards, such as TR19, a technical reference on business continuity, and SS507, a Singapore Standard for BCDR Service Providers.
7. SS507 is the world's first standard that sets out stringent requirements for BCDR Service Providers to ensure they can provide business continuity, a "trusted" operating environment, and help companies secure and recover data in the event of a crisis. By year end, we anticipate that this Singapore standard, which is now a draft international standard, will become a full-fledge international standard.
NUS Disaster Recovery Centre - BCDR Readiness
8. Educational institutions such as the NUS are also heavy ICT users. The NUS Disaster Recovery Centre will provide NUS with a solid BCDR capability. It is a worthwhile investment that sends the right message of being prepared for any crisis. The disaster recovery centre ensures availability almost 24 by 7 for the various faculties and schools, research centres, institutes, faculty members, staff and students of NUS.
Conclusion
9. I would like to thank Prof Shih for inviting me to this opening. Once again, I applaud the forward thinking and astuteness of the NUS management. My very best wishes to the University as it pursues its vision of becoming a Global Knowledge Enterprise.
10. Thank you.
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