A majority of Singapore organisations experienced a major cybersecurity incident in the past year, according to new research unveiled at Canon Singapore‘s Think Big Leadership Business Series 2026, held on 20 and 21 August at Glass Dome @ Far East Square.
The study, commissioned with cybersecurity partner ESET and conducted by Blackbox Research in the second quarter of 2026, surveyed 400 cybersecurity decision-makers in Singapore. It found that sophisticated phishing tactics (36%), IT visibility gaps (34%) and internal skills shortages (34%) were the leading causes of incidents, while delayed detection (55%) and insufficient environmental visibility (49%) were the biggest barriers to containment.
Findings underpin new cybersecurity suite
The research underpins the launch of Canon Singapore’s new cybersecurity suite, which draws on ESET’s threat intelligence to deliver 24/7 managed detection and response, cyber awareness training, and secured remote endpoints.
“In an era defined by an accelerating threat landscape and complex digital risks, enterprise survival hinges on shifting from reactive defence to proactive resilience, making robust cybersecurity foundations a core prerequisite for sustainable business growth,” said Too Kok Yong, Head of Singapore Operations Group, Canon Singapore.
“Cybersecurity has become a business resilience imperative, not merely an IT concern. Our research points to two persistent challenges: delayed detection and insufficient visibility across increasingly complex environments,” said Parvinder Walia, President of the APAC region, ESET.
Two-day forum brings together enterprise and public sector leaders
Now in its 16th edition, the Think Big Leadership Business Series is Canon Singapore’s flagship enterprise forum. This year’s theme, “Securing Tomorrow: Leadership. Innovation. Resilience.”, frames panel discussions featuring executives from NETS, Google APAC, Eurokars Group, Vanguard Healthcare and Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group.
The event’s 360-degree Security Showcase spans five areas, including:
- AI-powered managed detection and response with 24/7 monitoring
- ESET Cyber Awareness Training designed to reduce phishing risk
- ESET-secured, ultra-lightweight VAIO remote-work endpoints with AI noise cancellation
- Secure document management with role-based access controls and audit trails
- Smart-office infrastructure, including biometric access controls and visitor verification
Lawrence Chan, Group CEO of NETS, said resilient payment infrastructure is now a baseline expectation across industries. Alvin Ang Jian Ming, Head of IT, Cybersecurity and IT Transformation at Vanguard Healthcare, said digital resilience in healthcare is a direct extension of patient trust and care continuity.
The full ESET Enterprise Cybersecurity Report 2026 is expected to be published in late August 2026.
