Cisco and Singapore Pools: Innovation, Security and Trust

In this day and age, digital transformation is key to a company’s success.  

Cisco Systems is a pillar of the digital age, helping companies of all sizes develop a roadmap for their digital transformation journey, transforming the way people connect, communicate and collaborate. 

“We use technology as the bridge between hope and possibility,” explains Andy Lee, Cisco’s Managing Director for Singapore and Brunei. “We help our customers build simpler, more secure and more cost-effective networks, in order to help them, not only unlock today's opportunities, but also to ensure they are ready for the future.” 

Cisco was chosen by Singapore Pools as a key technology partner, helping them leverage technology from AI and big data to automation and cyber security in order to make better, more informed decisions. It’s a long-standing relationship built on mutual trust and a shared enthusiasm for innovation. 

“Cisco has been the main technology provider for Singapore Pools' IT infrastructure for the past eight years, serving not just their corporate functions, but also their needs as they progress, improve and expand,” Mr. Lee explains, adding that the partnership’s success is also partly due to his strong working relationship with Teck Guan Yeo, Singapore Pools’ Chief Business Technology Officer. 

“I've known Teck Guan for a long time, and I know that he knows who to call when something happens,” says Mr. Lee, adding that - even when there isn’t something happening, the two of them often stay in contact. “It's nice to catch up over a cup of coffee as well,” he laughs.  

At the heart of any successful partnership is trust and an understanding of a shared vision. “We have a deep understanding of Singapore Pools' core vision, business priorities and how they run their operations,” says Mr. Lee, emphasising just how important “collaboration and trust” are to the success of their joint venture. 

During the past 12 months, as the world found itself thrown into a new, often uncomfortable reality, Cisco has been an essential part of Singapore Pools’ support structure, as the company made the transition to a remote working model “almost overnight.” 

Mr. Lee stresses just how important technology has been as an enabler in managing that transition, something that has only served to elevate Cisco’s importance to its partners. By leveraging its cutting edge networking solutions, Cisco has been able to help partners like Singapore Pools “ease the transition to the new digital reality of a remote and distributed workforce.” 

One of the key challenges that Mr. Yeo and Mr. Lee found themselves faced with last year was the sudden surge in cybersecurity challenges that arose from the global shift to working from home. 

“In a world where employees are expected to work from anywhere on any device, task security needs to be the foundation of success for any digitalisation effort,” says Mr. Lee. 

Cisco’s threat defence platform is the largest in the industry, blocking more than 20bn threats to its customers every day. Before and during the pandemic, it’s been a valuable tool in helping Singapore Pools “maintain the cybersecurity and data integrity that allows their business to continue working.” 

Both Mr. Lee and Mr. Yeo are irrepressible disruptors whose work is never done. Yeo has big plans for Singapore Pools, and Mr. Lee plans on being there to help every step of the way. 

“We are proud to partner with Singapore Pools on their digital transformation journey to streamline and automate all their manual processes,” says Mr. Lee. “We look forward to working closely with them to drive productivity, efficiency and long term business resiliency, in order to ensure a seamless transformation from the old to the now to the new.