Nearly 50,000 SMEs to get one year of free cyber protection as part of national digitalisation drive

SINGAPORE – Starting in November, nearly 50,000 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be able to tap one year’s worth of free cyber-security services to keep out malware in their networks and devices as part of a national digitalisation drive.

The service is offered by Singtel, in partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority and Enterprise Singapore.

The telco is one of two new firms to support the Digital Enterprise Blueprint (DEB), a national strategy by the authorities to help companies here transform digitally.

Announced on Oct 7, the Singtel Cyber Protect Programme can detect malicious links and websites in the e-mails and web browsers of the employees of SMEs.

It alerts employees to these malicious links and blocks their access to dodgy sites containing malware.

Such a programme is necessary because cyber threats are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex to solve as more companies continue to digitalise, said Singtel Singapore chief executive Ng Tian Chong.

“We know that SMEs... are usually resource-scarce,” said Mr Ng, adding that the idea is to make cyber security simple, accessible and affordable.

By maintaining a database of malicious links and websites, the telco aims to secure business mobile devices and office networks from network-level threats such as phishing links, which can lead to ransomware and malware infections.

The Singtel programme comes after the

number of systems here infected by malware leapt to 117,300 in 2024

from about 70,200 in 2023, according to the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore.

Protection is free for the first 12 months, and will cover up to five business mobile lines per company for 14,000 SMEs, and one broadband network per company for 35,000 SMEs.

In the second year, the firms will need to pay $2.45 and $8.18 monthly per mobile and broadband connection, respectively.

The Straits Times understands that SMEs still need to install their own basic anti-virus software even if they subscribe to Singtel’s cyber-security solution.

There are around 274,000 local SMEs, according to data published by the Singapore Department of Statistics in 2024.

As part of the programme, Singtel will also conduct cyber-security workshops and produce educational videos to enhance SMEs’ understanding of cyber threats and mitigation strategies.

Under the DEB launched in May 2024, government agencies work with tech vendors to support the digitalisation efforts of SMEs.

Existing initiatives include ST Engineering’s programme that offers free cyber-threat scans, and DBS Bank’s efforts to help firms adopt generative artificial intelligence applications.

More than 20,000 local SMEs have benefited from programmes run by other partners, including Alibaba Cloud, Amazon Web Services, DBS Bank, Google and Microsoft.

Through its network of 5,000 members and 160 trade associations, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry will also begin conducting workshops to strengthen AI adoption among SMEs as a new partner of DEB.

The Government hopes to continue supporting digitalisation of SMEs in three key ways, said Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How at the inaugural SMEs Go Digital Day event on Oct 7.

These include enabling them to adopt AI to raise productivity and remain competitive and relevant in the marketplace, and looking to transform entire industries, beyond just looking at individual companies and solutions.

“Most importantly, even as you digitalise, it must come hand in hand with cyber security,” said Mr Tan, adding that cyber incidents in recent weeks have shown how they can cripple operations of all sizes.