Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and Cloud Security Alliance Launch Joint Initiative to Create Trusted Cloud Ecosystem in Singapore

Singapore, May 15, 2012 – Today at CloudAsia 2012, the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA) will launch a joint initiative to create a trusted cloud eco-system in Singapore, bringing together the key stakeholders in the Cloud to accelerate Singapore’s position as a global cloud hub, and facilitating cloud computing services adoption and address emerging cloud issues in the Asia Pacific region. This is the first such collaboration between a national regulatory body in Asia Pacific and a global not-for-profit organization, which is chartered with a mission to promote the use of best practices for providing security assurance within Cloud Computing, and to provide education on the uses of Cloud Computing to help secure all other forms of computing. “The Asia-Pacific region is taking a leading role in developing and adopting cloud computing services, and this joint initiative is indicative of CSA’s commitment to the region,” said Jim Reavis, Executive Director of the CSA. “Together, we will continue to further the research and education around cloud security in APAC, accelerating the adoption of cloud computing and the development of standards in the region.” As part of this initiative, the first three home-grown Singapore cloud companies with a strong local brand - StarHub, Infotect Security and Ennovatez - are joining the CSA as corporate members. In addition, the Security and Governance Chapter of Singapore IT Federation (SITF) will be coming on board CSA as an affiliate member. Assistant Chief Executive, Mr Khoong Hock Yun of IDA will preside as these firms sign the corporate and affiliate membership agreements with Mr. Jim Reavis, Executive Director of CSA, and Mr. Nils Puhlmann, Co-founder and member of the Board of Directors with CSA. The signing ceremony will be conducted at 9:55am today, followed by a keynote speech from Mr. Reavis, titled “Reinventing Information Security with the Cloud”. Mr Khoong Hock Yun said, “I am pleased with the launch of this initiative and welcome the new members to the CSA. As cloud computing is a paradigm shift in how applications are delivered and consumed within the consumer and enterprise environments, it is important that end users have confidence with the companies, people, systems and processes that deliver such computing based services. Cloud computing security contributes to this confidence building. As a trusted business hub, Singapore plays a useful role in being one of the leading adopters of cloud computing to significantly improve the productivity and competiveness of our industry sectors, and also develop our cloud computing ecosystem which enhances the vibrancy and growth of Singapore's infocomm sector.” Said Kevin Lim, Head of Enterprise Business Group, StarHub: "As the business world ushers in a new era of cloud technologies and is presented with new areas of security challenges, it is important that cloud service providers like StarHub is up-to-speed with current security policies and measures related to cloud computing. We are pleased to join the Cloud Security Alliance, the world's leading platform for promoting cloud security awareness and practices. We look forward to the opportunity to learn and share the best practices for managing and protecting the cloud, to ensure that we constantly provide a secure environment in the cloud for our customers." Infotect Security Managing Director, Wong Onn Chee, said, “We are honoured to join CSA as one of the 3 pioneer corporate members from Singapore. We believe CSA provides us the ideal platform for us to go international with our patented, world first dedicated outbound security solution for cloud services. As our solution addresses the No 1 global obstacle facing cloud adoption – data leakage, CSA is the right partner for us to help address this obstacle and to promote greater cloud adoption both in Singapore and across the world.” “Singapore and the entire Asia-Pacific region is experiencing a high demand for cloud security expertise and will continue to be in the coming years” said Tom Wills, Managing Director of Ennovatez. “We’re excited that the CSA has come to Singapore, and even more so to be part of this leading initiative to close the competency gap and build the environment of trust that is so critical for cloud services to succeed.” “It is our privilege to be part of this initiative to fortify the best security practices for cloud computing arena. Through CSA, we hope to educate and address the security concerns that have slowed down organization’s adoption of cloud computing in the Asia-Pacific region. We will take this opportunity to share with enterprises our security experiences and mindshare on ways to build a highly secured cloud environment to protect mission-critical data from being compromised”, said Dr Ngair Teow Hin, Chairman, Security & Governance Chapter, SITF. Aloysius Cheang, Managing Director Asia Pacific, CSA, said, “Singaporean companies continue to innovate in the area of cloud computing at a rapid rate, consistent with the high demand in the region for such services. We welcome aboard our newest corporate members, who are leaders in delivering these kinds of services both regionally and around the world.” About the Cloud Security Alliance The Cloud Security Alliance is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to promote the use of best practices for providing security assurance within Cloud Computing, and to provide education on the uses of Cloud Computing to help secure all other forms of computing. The Cloud Security Alliance is led by a broad coalition of industry practitioners, corporations, associations and other key stakeholders. For further information, visit us at www.cloudsecurityalliance.org, and follow us on Twitter @cloudsa. About Infocomm Development Authority Singapore The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is committed to growing Singapore into a dynamic global infocomm hub. IDA uses an integrated approach to developing infocommunications in Singapore. This involves nurturing a competitive telecoms market as well as a conducive business environment with programmes and schemes for both local and international companies. For more news and information, visit www.ida.gov.sg.