Singapore, 17 September 2019 (Tuesday) – Singapore Management University’s (SMU) professional training arm, SMU Academy, and Straits Interactive today announced an end-to-end service to assist small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to seamlessly achieve the Data Protection Trustmark (DPTM) certification from the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA).

Known as ‘Trustmark Journey-as-a-Service’ (TJaaS), this new service offering provides a comprehensive roadmap to help Singapore companies achieve the DPTM requirements.  The scope of services includes:

• Guidance towards achieving DPTM certification
• Two-day hands-on training course for the organisation, titled “Advanced Data Protection Techniques: Data Protection by Design, Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) & DPTM”
• Advisory service to achieve operational compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA)
• Software to implement a Data Protection Management Programme
• Assess conformity to DPTM requirements by an IMDA-appointed third party Assessment Body.

Interested companies are encouraged to contact SMU Academy or Straits Interactive to determine their roadmap towards DPTM certification.  Organisations will also be eligible to apply for SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) funding for training and implementation of TJaaS.  The cost for a 10-person training, consultancy and DPTM assessment service starts at 1S$4,000 nett after funding (before GST).

Dr Lim Lai Cheng, Executive Director, SMU Academy, said, "We are seeing an increasing demand for Data Protection Trustmark certification among Singapore companies and attribute the strong interest to organisations looking to better protect their data.  Besides choosing a DPTM assessor, it is also about having the right advisory and affordable guidance in order to meet the DPTM certification requirements.  With this in mind, we decided to combine forces with Straits Interactive to introduce end-to-end DPTM training and implementation services (including the bundling of the third-party assessor fees) with SSG funding to help SMEs accelerate their PDPA compliance journey."

Kevin Shepherdson, CEO, Straits Interactive, said, "SMEs can now get proper guidance to determine their DPTM certification readiness, audit their policies, procedures and processes, as well as undergo DPTM assessment by an external IMDA appointed third-party assessor, all as part of a single integrated end-to-end service.  Besides guiding and training the organisation on the DPTM requirements and implementation, our certified consultants will also assist the organisation to conduct its self-assessment using the IMDA-issued DPTM self-assessment questionnaire and in any remediations and recommendations made by the external assessor.”

The DPTM certification was launched by IMDA to help organisations demonstrate accountable and responsible data protection practices. It establishes a robust data governance standard to help organisations increase their competitive advantage and built trust with their clients.

More information about TJaaS can be found at www.straitsinteractive.com.

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Footnote: 1. Any additional costs not covered under the SSG grants via the Assessment Body will be highlighted during consultation.

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Straits Interactive Pte Ltd

Ms Angela Schooling

Marketing & Communications Director

(65) 98222625 | angela [at] straitsinteractive.com

SMU

Ms Huang Peiling

Snr Assistant Director, Corporate Communications, Office of Corporate Communications & Marketing

(65) 68280964 | (65) 98453361 | plhuang [at] smu.edu.sg