The National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) has forged a strategic collaboration with Palo Alto Networks to strengthen Thailand's Cloud First Policy framework by bolstering cybersecurity capabilities across government agencies.
This partnership aims to support implementing the country's national cloud security framework and help government agencies transition to cloud platforms, said AVM Amorn Chomchoey, secretary-general of the NCSA.
He said the partnership with artificial intelligence (AI) cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks should enable the transition towards a digital government.
The government continues to advance its Cloud First Policy, which is designed to integrate cloud technology across all state agencies to support digital transformation initiatives.
In June 2024, the cabinet approved the formation of a Cloud-First Policy Committee, tasked with overseeing this transition towards a fully digital government.
"Through this partnership, government agencies will gain the knowledge and expertise necessary to navigate the changing cybersecurity landscape and achieve compliance with emerging regulations," said AVM Amorn.
He said the partnership focuses on four areas: the implementation of a national cloud security framework, data privacy and regulatory compliance, training and capacity building, and public-private cybersecurity cooperation.
The duo also plans to establish a "Cloud Centre of Excellence" to develop and promote best practices in cloud security.
They also want to jointly conduct cloud security best practice workshops for government agencies.
As part of the pact, Palo Alto Networks will conduct security posture assessments for both public and private organisations to evaluate and enhance their cloud security measures.
The two parties will also perform cloud compliance readiness assessments to support organisations in meeting stringent government standards, ensuring a higher level of regulatory adherence across industries.
Furthermore, they will implement specialised training programmes for government officials and cloud administrators and develop a cybersecurity awareness programme designed to raise awareness among employees in the public and private sectors.