The cybersecurity industry has consistently faced a shortage of skilled people in the profession. According to a Cybersecurity Workforce Study by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, Inc., or (ISC)2, the global cybersecurity workforce gap grew by more than 26 per cent year-over-year in 2022, despite adding more than 464,000 people to the profession.

This gap has been driven by the acceleration of digitalisation brought about by the pandemic, rapid advancements brought about by Industry 4.0 technologies, as well as the increased prevalence of cyber threat actors keen to take advantage of these trends to further their own nefarious objectives.

More importantly, this gap has increased the risks of cyberattacks to organisations as existing practitioners struggle to keep up with the increased threats and evolving landscape.

We need to hire cybersecurity professionals from all disciplines

Cybersecurity professionals are typically hired from disciplines related to IT and networking roles. This is a sensible approach as people in these disciplines have knowledge or skillsets that are complementary to cybersecurity roles, such as system administration, programming and networking.

However, as evidenced from the numbers, we are unable to narrow the cybersecurity workforce gap just by hiring from this limited pool of people. There are increased competing demands for people with such skillsets, especially from emerging Industry 4.0 technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and advanced robotics.

Also Read: How the need to survive pushed this founder into the depths of cybersecurity

To fill the workforce gap, we need to hire cybersecurity professionals from outside the traditional industries of IT and networking. This may be contrary to existing mainstream hiring practices where hard skills are often prioritised first, but there is method in this “madness”, especially in the field of cybersecurity.

Hard skills are nice, but aptitude is cardinal

For example, 10 years ago, a Security Operations Centre (SOC) would typically employ static Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) for security monitoring operations. Today, a typical SOC would be capable of performing proactive Threat Hunting (TH), employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect anomalies, and use automated orchestration tools.

An engineer who had joined a SOC 10 years ago knowing how to operate an SIEM, would not be able to rely on that same skillset in a SOC today, unless he picked up new skills in TH or AI or automation tools.

Hence, a potential candidate should not be assessed primarily on their current or past skills but more on their aptitude or their ability to pick up new skills and knowledge. This is even more relevant in the cybersecurity industry, where technologies and methods are expected to change every two to three years, and candidates need to have the right aptitude and attitude to pick up new skills quickly, relearn or even unlearn old skills.

Need of the hour

Structured Training is critical for candidates outside the industry to join the cybersecurity workforce and hit the ground running.

With the right aptitude, a potential candidate will have a much higher chance of transiting successfully into the cybersecurity industry. However, having just aptitude is insufficient for the candidate to transit, as manpower-starved employers are looking for candidates with the necessary skillsets to hit the ground running rather than having to train them by themselves.

The skills acquisition process can be complicated for a candidate from outside the IT industry. Firstly, they would potentially be looking at hundreds of cybersecurity certifications, of which many of these might not be suitable for the candidate’s expertise level or might not provide the correct skillsets for a particular job. Secondly, some might not be able to afford the training costs upfront, or commit the time to attain these skillsets on a part-time basis. Thirdly, some candidates simply learn better with a trainer, as a trainer would be able to bring them through more difficult concepts, customise the programme to the candidate’s ability, or contextualise cybersecurity concepts to practical scenarios.

Also Read: 9 tips for creating a remote work cybersecurity policy

Hence, a structured training programme which is focused on practical skills, led by experienced trainers and practitioners, and enables the candidate to focus on training full-time, is a critical enabler for these candidates to transit successfully and hit the ground running.

Benefits of hiring cybersecurity professionals from outside the industry

Hiring cybersecurity professionals from outside the industry will enable us to narrow the cyber workforce gap in a sustained manner. This will benefit organisations looking to reinforce their cybersecurity workforce to defend against increasing threats, as well as the candidates who can look forward to meaningful and challenging work and good career prospects.

However, the benefits go beyond that. The cybersecurity community will also benefit from alternative skillsets that these candidates bring in, which are not native to the cybersecurity community. For example, a former power engineer will bring with him knowledge about power systems which will enable him to defend industrial control systems (ICS) better.

A former law associate will be able to contribute significantly to legal and policy developments in the cybersecurity domain, which is currently very nascent. A former sales executive would be very valuable as a cybersecurity solutions sales engineer or consultant. The possibilities are endless.

This is how we can fill the cybersecurity workforce gap and protect the world.

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What elements constitute growth and scale for a startup?

According to our contributor David Isaac Matthews, Principal: Growth & Venture Building at Causality Co, it all starts with finding that product-market fit.

“Product-market fit is the holy grail of startups and launching innovation. It is when you are creating value for a profitable customer segment. It is the point at which your product meets the needs of your target market, creating a unique value proposition that drives growth. But achieving product-market fit is easier said than done,” he writes.

In the pre-pandemic world, growth is often identical with speed, and startups often stays in a cycle of raising funding in order to expand to new markets before they are hit with the reality of sustaining a business.

But as we are dealing with back-to-back global crises, is there any difference in the way we should approach this? What lessons have we learned in the past few years, and what remains relevant? What opportunities are there to explore?

Also Read: 6 different ways to explore growth at Echelon Asia Summit 2023

This year, Echelon Asia Summit will be back on June 14-15 at Singapore EXPO to build towards a sustainable and impactful tech ecosystem.

The event will feature six key themes and tracks:

• Soonicorns and the Future Change-makers of SEA
• Future Sectors and Investment Trends
• Growth and Scaling
• Investments and M&A
• Sustainable Growth and Climate
• Web3

We are looking forward to featuring startup founders who will not hesitate to share their stories. From the most valuable lessons that you have ever learned to tips-and-trick on how companies can scale and grow their business in a challenging time like this, we believe that no ones knows better than you!

We are also looking forward to hear from investors, corporations, and government agencies on the role that they play in helping startups scale–and how they can make a difference in it.

If you are the right person to speak about this key theme and track, or know someone who does, we would like to hear from you. Register HERE and we will get in touch soon.

See you in June.

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 is bringing together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups get the chance to pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like a chance to connect with investors, visibility through e27 platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

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To attract potential customers, eye-catching visuals (photos and videos) are critical for online businesss, such as e-commerce shops, marketplaces, and e-magazines. However, getting affordable, fast visuals is costly and challenging.

While large brands can afford professional photo shoots, smaller brands trying to move onto e-commerce platforms are less fortunate.

“A professional shoot is expensive and difficult to execute,” Kathy Sheehy tells e27. “Lots of efforts are going into it, from hiring a photographer, renting out a studio, renting lights, hiring a stylist, models, make-up artists. Quotes for bespoke shoots could run into thousands of dollars.”

Also Read: AI has the potential to perpetuate harmful biases, says Inmagine CEO

There should be a way to make photoshoots affordable for smaller brands without compromising quality, Kathy thought to herself. The Singaporean national, who has a background in brand building, social media and communications, broached this subject with Des Sheehy, her self-proclaimed “worst half” and a 35-year veteran of investing, and KittyKat was born.

Based in Singapore, KittyKat is the next evolution of brand photography, claims Kathy, the Chief Creative Officer. The startup works with brands and SMEs to create photos, videos, and GIFs affordably. “We produce images that are fast, aesthetic and affordable. We leverage AI to produce brand visuals and then use tech/humans to present, refine and multiply these images.”

As a business owner, you can book your shoot on the KittyKat website and send your product to the company for the shoot. You can then join the shoot virtually and get the pictures and videos later. Businesses can also get photoshoot recommendations from KittyKat.

The startup works with in-house and freelance creators, providing them more work, tools, and training to elevate their output.

KittyKat targets businesses where the image they present online is important: a web page, e-newsletter or social media account. According to Kathy, KittyKat has already worked with nearly 100 SMEs, brands, and MNCs across the US, Australia, and Asia.

Like most startups, the AI company also faces several challenges, of which behaviour change is the biggest. Small companies beginning their online journey don’t think visuals are essential, while large companies with in-house marketing teams need the incentive to change their traditional ways.

“Overcoming the assumption that we are a photo studio was challenging. While we take photos, we are a service that uses innovation, new technology, and AI to ensure we maximise the impact of the client’s visual assets,” she says. “We help SMEs/brands scale and sell across geographies as we can create visuals that match local market needs.”

In her opinion, the best way to overcome such challenges is by experience.

KittyKat doesn’t charge thousands of dollars for shoot unlike other service providers. Instead, it provides a personal dashboard where the clients can access all the digital visual assets. They can pick new visuals from this dashboard to use later.

These assets constantly grow as KittyKat keeps adding new images through its multiplier and user-generated content (UGC) creators. The dashboard also provides access to content, training and tools to improve the performance of the marketing team and the brands. “We don’t want a client to come back for another shoot; we want the client to select from their personal gallery in a single click,” Kathy notes.

The startup offers various payment models to its clients: pay-as-you-go, SaaS, or account model to draw down these assets from their dashboards. They can also order new shoots or new formats from this, such as 3D, NFT, Print Ready etc.

A bootstrapped company, KittyKat recently raised a strategic investment round from 11 family members and friends. It has 23 staff workers across Singapore, the US, Ireland, Malaysia, and Australia.

Also Read: Instill AI can convert your unstructured data into meaningful data using low-code tools

In the next six to nine months, the firm plans to open a physical presence in the Middle East, Europe and the US, to better capture the initial images in mature markets.

“An image is worth a thousand words – one of the hardest parts of a digital transformation/platform are the images. At the end if the day, you need good visual assets to sell online,” Kathy signs off.

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DigiFT, a Singapore-based digital asset exchange (DEX) for asset-backed tokens (STO), has secured US$10.5 million in a pre-Series A funding round led by Shanda Group, a global privately-owned investment group.

Other investors also participated, including HashKey Capital, Hash Global, Xin Enterprise, and North Beta Capital.

The startup will use the new funds to support license applications in Asia, the Middle East, and Europe, technology development, and expand its innovation capabilities. The firm also plans to expand its team.

DigiFT was founded in 2020 by Henry Zhang, formerly Greater China CEO of East West Bank and Deputy China CEO of Citibank and Standard Chartered Bank.

Also Read: How to scale voluntary carbon markets with DeFi and Web3

DigiFT is a DEX for asset-backed tokens (STO) and is the first such exchange enrolled in the Monetary Authority of Singapore FinTech Regulatory Sandbox. It aims to provide regulated DeFi solutions on the Ethereum public blockchain, offering an automatic market-making (AMM) mechanism that facilitates secondary trading liquidity for security tokens backed by financial assets.

Asset owners can issue blockchain-based security tokens cost-effectively. Investors can also trade with continuous liquidity via the AMM mechanism and retain control over digital assets in their wallets.

“As a key international financial hub, Singapore boasts a robust legal framework and government support for tokenisation with blockchain technology. We look forward to further working with regulatory bodies to steer our industry in the right direction,” said Henry Zhang, Founder and CEO of DigiFT.

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 brings together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups can pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like a chance to connect with investors, visibility through e27 platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

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Una Brands, a multi-channel e-commerce aggregator headquartered in Singapore, has announced an additional US$30 million pre-Series C funding round led by Northstar Group.

This follows the company’s US$30 million Series B round led by White Star Capital and Alpha JWC Ventures in September 2022, and brings the total raise over the past year to US$60 million.

With this fundraise, the company plans to develop its multi-channel platform further and invest in strengthening supply chain and distribution networks in key operating markets.

Una Brands will also use the proceeds to continue acquiring high-quality e-commerce brands within the home & living, mom & baby, and beauty & personal care categories. In line with the consolidation trends in developed markets, the firm will also explore strategic opportunities to bolster its growth and solidify its position as the leading multi-channel e-commerce aggregator in APAC.

Also Read: Una Brands acquires ergonomic furniture brands ErgoTune and EverDesk+ for 8-figure USD

Founded in 2021, Una Brands is a multi-channel e-commerce aggregator. Its flagship brands, ErgoTune and EverDesk, are now in multiple countries across the APAC region and beyond.

Co-Founder and CEO Kiren Tanna said: “We believe their deep knowledge of the Southeast Asian markets and strong e-commerce experience will be very valuable to Una Brands as we look to double down our operations across the region.”

In 2022, Una Brands acquired multiple brands, including a premium DTC brand catering to nursing mothers in Malaysia and one of TikTok’s most popular lip care brand in Indonesia.

As a group, Una Brands claims to have achieved US$70 million in run-rate revenue and is expected to achieve Group EBITDA profitability in 2023.

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Echelon Asia Summit 2023 brings together APAC’s leading startups, corporates, policymakers, industry leaders, and investors to Singapore this June 14-15. Learn more and get tickets here. Echelon also features the TOP100 stage, where startups can pitch to 5000+ delegates, among other benefits like a chance to connect with investors, visibility through e27 platform, and other prizes. Join TOP100 here.

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