“In government, information is crucial. More than storing confidential information, we must be able to access data when we need it,” said Presidential Management Staff (PMS) officer Angelo Quimson. This is why PMS is not surprised that multiple attacks have been launched against their agency. Quimson, therefore, said that – with their function and direct line to the President making them clear targets – they need to exercise clear measures to keep threats at bay.
This is why Eastern Communications gathered government IT experts to update and prepare them for the latest threats to the country’s cybersecurity via Altitude 2.0 Solutions Forum.
“Our reports say that 2016 will be the year of extortion,” said Christina Bautista, a senior consultant to a global solutions company. “Whereas in previous years ransomware was not that popular in the Philippines, now we have clients coming to us and saying they’re infected with it. There’s now an actual threat.”
Eastern Communications marketing services head Jed Estanislao meanwhile said that, in this age, institutions cannot afford data loss. “For businesses, these affect bottom line figures. In government, this translates to the dampening of public trust. That is why we should allocate as much capital in warding off cyber attacks, as we do on keeping the trust of our clients and our public,” he said.
Estanislao added that protecting the people’s data is the new mandate for all public institutions, and one that must be observed at every level of the organization.
Bautista shared a guideline to her audience: For end users, don’t just click. Middle management must ensure defense solutions are in place, while top management must provide the necessary support to develop their IT arm. Bautista cautioned that old notions on cyber attacks no longer hold. Attackers are engineering more personal and informed ways to engage their targets. Online profiling is now commonplace and top-level executives are the ones most at risk. Authorities in technology are now building up multi-sectoral defenses for increasingly aggressive cyber attacks.
Estanislao added: “Organizations cannot combat cyber threats alone. Companies like Eastern Communications should do their part. That is why we hope to continue to engage them.”
Eastern Communications (ETPI) is the first major telecommunications company in the Philippines to secure ISO 9001 certification. The company has more than 138 years of experience in providing an portfolio of Internet, data, and voice products, and business-centric managed services offerings. For more information, visit www.easterncommunications.com.ph.
