DICT launches cybersecurity management project
THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has given the go signal for the joint venture of Integrated Computer Systems, Inc. (ICS) and Israel-based Verint Systems, Inc. to undertake its cybersecurity management system project.
DICT Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity Allan S. Cabanlong said the government on Tuesday gave the ICS-Verint tandem the notice to proceed to build the system which will be used for threat monitoring.
“The scope of work is covering 10 priority agencies of the government... plus the core. The core will be the National Cyber Interagency Platform, (which) will have the capability to monitor threats that’s coming in and out of the country .... Aside from that, we are also implementing dark web monitoring,” he said during the project’s kickoff event at EDSA Shangri-La hotel in Mandaluyong.
“We’ll be aiding police, defense and other agencies of the government that need this information or intelligence that they would use to achieve their mandate. So that’s basically the project,” Mr. Cabanlong added.
The ICS-Verint joint venture won the contract last year after submitting a P508-million bid for the cybersecurity project.
ICS is a 40-year-old technology solutions company headed by George T. Barcelon, who also heads the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
Its partner, Verint, is an “actionable intelligence” expert that provides cyber intelligence solutions to more than 10,000 organizations in more than 180 countries.
Mr. Cabanlong said the ICSVerint joint venture will build the system in accordance with DICT specifications. It will have a three-year license and will cover ten agencies, namely the Office of the President, Department of Finance, Department of Energy, Department of Foreign Affairs, National Security Council, Department of Budget and Management, Presidential Communications Operations Office, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, Department of National Defense and the DICT.
“The license is for three years, but of course this is the first phase... Basically the center would be running smoothly for three years, but before three years we need to (renew the license),” he said.
Mr. Cabanlong noted other agencies may also request information that the DICT will collect. He said the priority now is to look into drugs, criminalities, and election-related counterterrorism in social media.
While they have identified at least 40 agencies that have high impact to national security, Mr. Cabanlong said they had to limit the scope of the project’s Phase 1 because of budgetary constraints.