Siemens Energy, a German renewable power company, has launched the region’s first MDR operational technology cybersecurity operations center (CSOC) in Cyberjaya, Malaysia. The move, according to Dr. Zulkifeli Bin Mohd Zin, the chairman of CyberSecurity Malaysia, is the first significant step in establishing Malaysia as a regional cybersecurity powerhouse.
Siemens Energy formally opened its first cybersecurity operations center (CSOC) in Asia Pacific less than a year after announcing that Malaysia would be the location. The facility, which is in Malaysia’s Cyberjaya, is also the first managed detection response (MDR) and operational technology (OT) CSOC in the region. It was created to monitor, detect, and reduce cyberthreats on vital infrastructure, including the energy and utility sectors.
Karim Amin, a member of Siemens Energy’s executive board, stated during the launch that the company chose Malaysia primarily because of the strong support from the national government. According to him, Malaysia is ideally situated as an investment and talent powerhouse for cybersecurity in the Asia-Pacific region.
Moreover, in his keynote talk, Karim also underlined the need for Siemens Energy to create a more developed energy value chain in the Asia-Pacific region, which includes creating a robust cybersecurity landscape.
According to the company, the center makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) and a dedicated team of cybersecurity experts to deliver 24/7 monitoring, detection, and crisis support to protect businesses’ working environment and guarantee operational continuity. Massive amounts of data are converted into intelligence by the MDR solutions, which are driven by the Eos.ii intelligent software platform. This intelligence then helps human analysts effectively defend both physical and digital assets.
“With the new CSOC, the company will be able to provide crucial advanced OT cybersecurity services to customers across the region and beyond, leveraging lessons learned from different use cases to continually refine its services further while remaining at the vanguard of cybersecurity trends to protect its customers proactively,” Siemens Energy stated in a statement.
Furthermore, when asked about expected investments, Karim stated that the Siemens Energy CSOC in Malaysia is anticipating an influx of more than RM10 million over the next two to three years and up to RM15 to RM20 million over the following five years. Along with making financial commitments, Siemens Energy will work with Universiti Tenaga Nasional in the region to provide young local talent with the education and resources required to pursue careers in cybersecurity.
Given that the energy industry has been the top target for cybercriminals, with an increase in both attempted and successful attacks since the height of the epidemic and remote working, Siemens Energy’s move comes at an appropriate time. Due to the industry’s reliance on infrastructure that is both complicated and dispersed by design, there is a large attack “surface area.” It is also seen as a late adopter of digital technology and has a little understanding of cybersecurity.
