We live in an interconnected world. Information and communication technology (ICT) pervades our daily lives more and more. Nowadays, almost all Malaysians have at least one mobile phone each.
Many even have more than one. I know someone who has one in each pocket! It has dramatically changed the way we work. Working from home has become increasingly common with the Internet. Even the way we shop has changed. Electronic commerce has become big business and is growing almost exponentially. With the increasing sophistication in ICT, looking for all kinds of information is a breeze. We’re already hearing of universities moving away from the traditional classroom style of teaching. We can now get degrees online. Some of the top universities of the world are already contemplating such change.
At the same time, digital technologies are also driving innovation in almost every sector of industry. Today’s cars are filled with digital electronics. The same can be said of the machine tools industry. In the service sector, banks and insurance companies are already deep in ICT gadgetry. Fortunately, the government has taken the initiative to give due priority to digital technology. As a nation, we need to strategise to capture many of the emerging opportunities that ICT presents. This is the reason why the government has launched the digital economy road map. Advances in ICT are also bringing the real and virtual world together. This is very much reflected in the growing interest in the “Internet of Things”. A thing in the Internet of Things can be a person with a heart monitor implant, a farm animal with a biochip transponder, an automobile that has built-in sensors to alert the driver when tyre pressure is low or any other natural or man-made object that can be assigned an IP address and provided with the ability to transfer data over a network.
Dealing with big data is next. Again, ICT has to be called upon to help. While the digital economy offers huge opportunities, it is not free from risks. Cybersecurity has become a major risk for the Internet age. It has been reported that in Germany alone, practically every company has been the target of hacking on at least one occasion.
In this digital world, the possibilities of misuse and manipulation are almost endless. Hackers can steal not only confidential access codes but also a person’s identity. In fact, it was recently reported that even Hollywood portals which contain private photos of stars were hacked. Hackers will stop at nothing. Nowadays, some organisations offer courses on hacking. The belief is that the only way to stop hacking is to spot the plot before hand.
The dependency on digital systems and the increasing use of cloud computing services make it indispensable to have an efficient means of providing cyber security. We are fortunate because the government recognises the need to instil a culture and mindset of constantly monitoring what develops in the cyber-world.
The establishment of Cybersecurity Malaysia is meant for this purpose. Many believe data security will be one of the most important measures of quality in the future. Companies which cannot demonstrate the efficient safeguarding of data will stand to lose in the race for business excellence.
Take cloud computing for example. Yes, it does offer the opportunity to make use of processing power, storage space or software on the Internet as and when required, thus reducing IT costs in the process. But many companies remain sceptical about outsourcing their data to external servers. Their fear is that unauthorised individuals could gain access to sensitive company information. Researchers worldwide are now working on solutions that will make computing in the cloud a more secure affair.
It is important that our own ICT researchers are given the support to also participate in this research area. There is no doubt that we need to raise sufficient talent in this very critical area of the digital economy. Otherwise, we will be at the mercy of others. This would not augur well if we are to truly excel in the digital economy.