SINGAPORE and MILPITAS, CALIF, 7 October 2014 - Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) and FireEye, Inc. (NASDAQ: FEYE) today announced a strategic partnership to enhance the cyber security eco-system in Asia Pacific (APAC). 

The partnership will cover:

- significant investments related to new Advanced Security Operation Centres (ASOCs) in Singapore and Australia;

- the launch of the first SingTel Managed Defence solution powered by FireEye in APAC; 

- building up cyber security expertise, including training up to 150 professionals to operate the  ASOCs;

- setting up new data stores in the region, and

- increasing awareness and knowledge of next generation cyber threats through the bi-annual APAC-focused threat advisory reports by SingTel and FireEye. 

Mr Bill Chang, SingTel's CEO Group Enterprise, said: "This is a ground-breaking collaboration to enhance the cyber security ecosystem in the region.  We are combining FireEye's best-of-breed managed defence capabilities and SingTel's leadership in ICT services and infrastructure in Asia Pacific. This will help enterprises better manage the increasing challenges of a new generation of cyber-attacks. With its deep cyber security capabilities, SingTel aims to be the preferred and trusted ICT services partner for enterprises. 

"With more mobile devices consuming enterprise data and increasingly exposed to malware attacks, SingTel and FireEye will join forces to provide threat mitigation for mobile devices as well." 

Mr Chang added: "Apart from offering the game-changing SingTel Managed Defence Powered by FireEye solution, which helps enterprises avert costly and prolonged malware breaches, we are aiming to strengthen the industry's awareness and knowledge in dealing with cyber threats with our bi-annual Asia Pacific-focused threat advisory reports."                         

"FireEye is very excited about our partnership with SingTel. Our managed defence capabilities deliver a level of protection, containment and remediation of highly targeted and complex attacks unmatched in the industry, and SingTel has the scale and infrastructure to help reach customers across the region," said Mr David DeWalt, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer for FireEye. 

Mr DeWalt added: "Many organisations realise the nature of attacks has fundamentally changed, but are unsure how to update their security infrastructure to respond to modern threats. FireEye and SingTel bring a unique solution to the market, providing managed services that transform our customers' security posture and help protect their most valuable assets. With our two leading brands, we are looking to grow the business quickly in the Asia Pacific market."

SingTel Managed Defence Powered by FireEye

The solution will provide continuous monitoring, detection and the quick containment of malware and other perceived threats to enterprises and government organisations. 

Based on investigations in 2013 from FireEye's Mandiant incident response unit, advanced attackers went undetected for a median of 229 days (1) before being discovered and the vulnerabilities remediated. During this time, an organisation can be exposed to potential malicious activity for months. The SingTel Managed Defence Powered by FireEye focuses on both preventing threats from breaching a network as well as quickly alerting and remediating vulnerabilities to reduce the window of exposure. 

This solution protects organisations by:

- detecting and preventing most intrusion attempts against major attack vectors with patented virtual machine-based technology;

- monitoring an environment 24x7 and analysing potential cyber threats using techniques based on over 100,000 hours per year of front-line experience, and

- resolving incidents quickly and assessing the impact for prompt, accurate disclosure. 

Advanced Security Operation Centres (ASOCs)

SingTel and FireEye will co-invest in setting up and jointly operating ASOCs in Singapore and Sydney, Australia. 

Cyber security professionals at these centres will continuously monitor, analyse and contain Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) and malware on an around-the-clock basis. 

The ASOCs will be integrated with SingTel's Network Operations Centres to provide end-to-end visibility across corporate networks and Internet traffic.   

These centres will also connect to FireEye's global network of ASOCs and have access to FireEye Dynamic Threat Intelligence (DTI), a global network that connects FireEye threat prevention platforms to provide a real-time exchange of threat data. This provides enterprises with the latest intelligence on cyber attacks and enables FireEye to proactively recognise new threats and block attacks. 

Cyber security expertise

According to FireEye's latest regional Advanced Threat Report, countries in Asia Pacific are more likely to be targeted by advanced cyber-attacks than the world as a whole . This has led to a higher demand for cyber security talent and a shortage of skillsets in cyber forensics, incidence response and threat analysis in this part of the world. 

The partnership will help address this by bringing in global cyber security experts and growing the local talent pool.  About 150 cyber security professionals are expected to be trained to operate the ASOCs alone. 

Data Stores

For organisations with data location restrictions, SingTel and FireEye will establish data stores in the region to house enterprise data locally. This enables organisation to maintain their data integrity by keeping their data in-country or region. 

Bi-annual APAC threat advisory reports

Today, most studies on cyber security look at results on a global scale. With the significant increase in the number of APT activities and computer networks in Asia Pacific under attack (please see Figure 1), more research and cyber security insights are required for the region. 

By expanding the data available via the SingTel network, FireEye will build upon existing Advanced Threat Reports and work with SingTel to jointly produce regular reports focused on cyber threats in Asia Pacific. 

The threat report are expected to deliver broader benefits to the regional security ecosystem by proactively tracking the latest APT activities in Asia Pacific as well as the types of malware that are affecting different countries.  

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SUPPORTING  QUOTES

"As cyber threats increase in size and sophistication, Singapore seeks to develop an ecosystem where industry and government work together to strengthen our cyber defences.  This includes building local infrastructure and capabilities, developing cyber security expertise with educational institutions, as well as encouraging the adoption of cyber security measures among businesses and individuals. SingTel and FireEye's strategic collaboration will help raise the level of cyber security readiness in Singapore and the Asia Pacific, and IDA looks forward to having more of such industry initiatives." 

Ms Jacqueline Poh, Managing Director, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore

"The partnership between SingTel and FireEye is a great example of how best-of-breed global technology providers are coming together in Singapore to capture the growing cyber security market in the region. In view of the rising threat landscape, the new solutions and services developed through this partnership will help strengthen the cyber defence of enterprises in the region."

Mr Gian Yi-Hsen, Director of Safety & Security Industry Programme Office, Singapore Economic Development Board

"Congratulations to SingTel and FireEye on your strategic collaboration and the launch of SingTel Managed Defence Powered by FireEye solution in Asia Pacific. This collaboration is timely and important for the adoption of ICT among large and small companies alike. The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been spearheading ICT adoption among small and medium enterprises for almost 20 years.

 "Security and trust have constantly ranked among industries' top concerns. This is accentuated today when businesses depend on cloud-based solutions to operate. Recent media coverage of events involving theft of personal data and attacks on public websites certainly raise the urgency for a viable and affordable solution. We are very pleased that SingTel has taken the leadership in providing a safer cyber space in Singapore and the region."

Mr Stephen Lim, Chairman of Technology Committee, Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry

(1) *Mandiant's 2014 Annual M-Trends breach report. The full report is available at:
http://connect.mandiant.com/m-trends_2014

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