Global leader in network-attached storage (NAS) and data management solutions Synology Inc. emphasized that with artificial intelligence accelerating digital transformation across industries, businesses in the Philippines are facing growing challenges in safeguarding sensitive information, ensuring compliance, and maintaining operational continuity.

Claire Huang, Synology’s Country Manager for the Philippines, highlighted these concerns during the ASEAN Innovation Business Platform (AIBP) Summit 2025, underscoring the growing importance of robust data protection strategies in today’s fast-changing digital landscape.

The 2024 Philippine Threat Landscape Report revealed that evolving cyber threats and scam activities have primarily targeted the finance, government, education, and telecommunications sectors—prompting the urgent need for stronger technical measures and smarter technological solutions.

Huang explained that the rapid adoption of AI is reshaping how businesses operate—driving innovation, but also creating unprecedented volumes of data that must be securely stored, managed, and protected.

With the AI market projected to reach $3.5 billion in the Philippines by 2030, organizations face the dual challenge of enabling innovation while meeting global standards for data privacy and cybersecurity.

“As organizations adapt to this new reality, many are realizing that scalable and secure IT foundations are no longer optional, but essential for long-term growth,” she said.

“Synology has been working with businesses across the region to simplify IT operations through solutions that integrate storage, backup, and data management into a unified ecosystem, ensuring that innovation can thrive on a resilient and future-ready infrastructure,” Huang added.

Alongside these opportunities, AI adoption also introduces heightened risks as ransomware attacks become more sophisticated, regulatory demands grow more complex, and the cost of downtime continues to rise.

These challenges highlight why cyber resilience has become essential—not only for critical sectors such as banking, telecommunications, and healthcare, but also for businesses striving to protect customer and investor confidence.

Recent cyber incidents have underscored these risks: the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas estimated $5.82 billion in losses among supervised financial institutions in 2024 due to cyberattacks, while the state-run health insurance agency suffered a breach that leaked 750 gigabytes of sensitive information.

Huang emphasized that for businesses, the ability to safeguard and swiftly recover data is now central to sustaining digital growth.

“The shift has prompted organizations to explore modern approaches that combine resilience with operational simplicity. Synology ActiveProtect solution is developed with these needs in mind, helping businesses strengthen their protection strategies by centralizing control, safeguarding critical workloads, and enabling rapid recovery when disruptions occur,” she said.

“Businesses across the Philippines are embracing digital transformation at a rapid pace, but with this progress comes heightened responsibility to protect data,” Huang added. “Our mission is to help organizations build resilient IT strategies that allow them to innovate without fear, equipping IT teams with scalable and cost-efficient tools to safeguard data, ensure continuity, and stay ahead in an AI-driven world.”