Singapore Management University, through its School of Information Systems (SIS), and Singapore’s leading security organization Certis CISCO, through its managed security services provider Quann, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 21 March 2016 to jointly promote and develop cybersecurity education and research in Singapore among students in tertiary education and cybersecurity professionals.

The MOU was signed by Professor Steven Miller, SMU's Vice Provost (Research) and Dean (School of Information Systems), and Mr Foo Siang Tse, Managing Director of Quann.

Under the five-year partnership, SIS will provide mentorship to trainers of Quann and co-conduct courses offered by Quann. Selected SIS undergraduates and Master’s students will be offered Quann Scholarship. SIS undergraduates would have opportunities to intern at Quann. Both parties will jointly develop cybersecurity courses.

Professor Steven Miller said, “The shortage of skilled cyber security specialists and experienced managers with cybersecurity depth is a national problem. Many organisations fall short in their cybersecurity efforts despite their large investments in technology because they don’t have the right expertise and the necessary management awareness of what to do. Our partnership with Quann is an important step in the strategic direction of building stronger skills and capabilities in cybersecurity.”

Over the years, SIS has been steadily strengthening its academic expertise and offerings in cybersecurity courses. Its Information Security & Trust course has been a core course of the SIS undergraduate curriculum since 2004. In 2014, the School launched the Information Security & Assurance track which consists of multiple courses. The ISA track is one of SMU's major efforts to answer the call from the Singapore Government and industry to produce qualified cybersecurity professionals. In February 2015, SIS established the Secure Mobile Centre at SMU, which was funded by Singapore’s National Research Foundation, through their National Cybersecurity R&D initiative. The Secure Mobile Centre develops efficient and scalable technologies and solutions that strengthen the security of mobile computing systems, applications and services.

[Caption: (L-R) SMU's Vice Provost (Research) and Dean of School of Information Systems Professor Steven Miller and Mr Foo Siang Tse, Managing Director of Quann signed an MOU to jointly promote and develop cybersecurity education and research in Singapore.] {Photo: Quann}