Sophos’ latest Cybersecurity Playbook for Partners in Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ), reveals that 80% of Singapore organisations plan to increase their cybersecurity budgets over the next year. This trend is mirrored across the APAC region, where 50% of organisations intend to boost spending on managed service providers (MSPs).
Cameron Reid, director of Channel Sales MSP at Sophos APJ, emphasised the urgency of addressing cybersecurity measures: “The ongoing prevalence of cyber threats has forced organisations to enhance their cybersecurity posture, especially around financial operations, risk management, and digital transformation initiatives.” As businesses adopt new technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), they express heightened concern about the evolving tactics of cybercriminals.
The report highlights AI-augmented cyberattacks as the primary threat facing organisations in Singapore, followed by phishing/social engineering and ransomware.
Alarmingly, only 28% of organisations feel equipped to handle AI-related threats, while just 24% have a comprehensive strategy for AI and automation. To address this skills gap, 45% of APJ organisations plan to outsource cybersecurity support, and 49% will invest in training programs with partner assistance.
The demand for MSP support is notably strong, with 80% of Singapore organisations expecting to allocate more resources to third-party managed security services. Key areas of increased investment include:
- Infrastructure and network security (62%)
- Threat detection and response (61%)
- Application security (56%)
- Identity access management (53%)
- Incident response and recovery (50%)
Despite a trend towards multi-vendor environments—only 24% of surveyed organisations rely on a single vendor—there is a growing need for partners with robust security credentials. Over half (62%) of respondents indicated they would hesitate to engage a partner who had experienced a breach. Among those willing to work with a breached partner, 83% would require additional performance clauses and service level agreements.
“Since adversarial behaviours are always evolving, it is essential that organisations receive the support they need to maintain strong defences against the latest cyberattacks,” added Reid. “This research underscores the necessity for companies to build cyber resiliency, presenting MSPs with significant opportunities to demonstrate their expertise and help clients focus on their core business objectives.”