Singapore has unveiled advisory guidelines aimed at reducing disruptions to cloud services and data centers, as announced by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on Tuesday. The guidelines were designed to reference existing international and industry standards and drive cloud service providers and data centers to implement risk assessment measures, business impact analysis, business continuity planning, and cybersecurity protocols.
“These guidelines aim to address risks to cloud services and data centers, such as issues in technical settings, physical hazards like fires, water leaks, and cooling systems, as well as cyberattacks,” the IMDA stated.
In recent years, several high-profile disruptions have hit the industry, including an outage lasting more than 12 hours at DBS and Citibank in October 2023. Additionally, a fire at the Digital Realty data center in Loyang caused disruptions for tech companies like Lazada, Bytedance, and Alibaba Cloud in September last year.
“Disruptions to such services can lead to significant inconveniences and adversely impact Singapore’s economy,” IMDA highlighted.
The guidelines focus on measures for both cloud service providers and data centers, with an emphasis on proper data governance, disaster recovery planning, and minimizing service disruptions. Specific areas of focus include cloud governance, infrastructure security, operations management, services administration, customer access, tenancy and customer isolation, and resilience.
In addition, IMDA emphasized the importance of addressing cybersecurity risks in data centers and improving Singapore’s digital security. The guidelines stand as an “additional step” to improve the resilience and security of cloud services, following the amendment to the Cybersecurity Act in 2024 to address cybersecurity risks of digital infrastructure.
“A whole-of-ecosystem approach is required to ensure that our economy and society continue to reap the benefits of digitalization while being prepared to manage digital disruptions,” the authority concluded.
These guidelines are vital for the industry’s readiness to manage digital disruptions and ensure the continuous delivery of critical services.
