Singapore on February 26 issued advisory guidelines for cloud services and data centres to enhance the resilience and security of their services, and thus, to minimise the occurrence of disruptions to these services and impact on the country’s economy and society.
The guidelines introduced by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) provides specific recommendations for cloud service providers and data centre operators.
For cloud service providers, IMDA recommends that they implement measures relate to areas such as security testing, user access controls, proper data governance, and planning for disaster recovery.
For data centre operators, the guidelines provide a framework for operators to put in place a robust business continuity management system to minimise service disruptions and ensure high availability for their customers. This includes guidance on implementing business continuity policies, controls and processes, and continuously reviewing and improving them. The guidelines also set out measures to address cybersecurity risks in data centres.
IMDA emphasised that digital services such as online banking, ride-hailing, e-commerce, and digital identity all depend on the stability and resilience of cloud services and data centres. Therefore, any disruption in these services can lead to major inconveniences to people's daily lives and adversely affect the economy and society.
According to IMDA, parts of these guidelines are likely to be incorporated into the upcoming Digital Infrastructure Act that will hold cloud service providers and data centre operators accountable to higher security and resilience standards.
