Indonesia's dependence on cybersecurity technology from abroad is viewed as a serious vulnerability, particularly in data management within the banking, government agency, and defense sectors. This phenomenon positions Indonesia more as a consumer than a technology innovator on the global stage.
CEO and Co-Founder of Zentara, Regal Star, highlighted the scarcity of local cybersecurity product developers capable of providing end-to-end protection. According to him, to build an independent ecosystem, Indonesia must start prioritizing research and development (R&D) of domestic products to compete with technology from the United States and Australia.
As a concrete step, Zentara not only provides managed security services such as Security Operations Center (SOC) and incident investigation, but also builds core technology such as threat intelligence, honeypots, and digital forensics. This measure is taken so that strategic institutions are not only capable of restoring systems when attacks occur, but also understanding threat patterns in depth.
In addition to focusing on technology development, Zentara is also taking a role in overcoming HR constraints by providing an affordable training platform. This step was taken to reduce certification costs, which often present an obstacle for young Indonesian talent pursuing careers in cybersecurity.
Moving forward, Zentara aims to enhance the capacity of its research team to deepen innovation in artificial intelligence (AI)-based security, malware analysis, and critical infrastructure protection. The company's major ambition is to transform home-grown cyber technology into a high-value export commodity in the future.
