Latest news with #SivaKumar
The Sun
28-07-2025
- General
- The Sun
Malaysia nominates three protected areas as ASEAN Heritage Sites
ALOR SETAR: Malaysia has enhanced its efforts and commitment in regional biodiversity conservation with the nomination of three protected areas as ASEAN Heritage Sites (AHP) at the 27th ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) Governing Board (GB) meeting in Langkawi, today. The meeting was chaired by the Undersecretary of the Philippine Policy, Planning and International Affairs Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Jonas R. Leones as the Chairman of ACB GB and the Secretary of the Biodiversity and Forestry Management Division, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) S. Siva Kumar who is also the Deputy Chairman of ACB GB. NRES in a statement announced that the meeting had decided to nominate three sites as AHPs, namely the Tengku Hassanal Wildlife Reserve, Pahang; Bako National Park and Bukit Lambir National Park, Sarawak. According to NRES, the meeting also agreed to nominate three new sites in Vietnam, namely Xuan Thuy National Park, Pu Mat National Park and Dong Nai Culture and Nature Reserve. 'In addition, the launch of 'Enhancing Conservation and Restoration of Wetlands and Peatlands in ASEAN' (EnCORE Wetlands) was officially introduced with Maludam National Park, Sarawak selected as Malaysia's pilot site along with Agusan Marsh Wildlife Sanctuary in the Philippines. 'The meeting also welcomed the formulation of the ASEAN Biodiversity Plan (ABP) 2024–2030 which is aligned with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM-GBF),' said NRES. Today's ACB GB meeting was held to strengthen regional biodiversity initiatives and finalise preparations for ASEAN's participation in the COP 17 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to be held in Yerevan, Armenia next year. Among the main agendas of the meeting hosted by NRES is the coordination of an action plan for the development of an ASEAN Joint Statement (AJS) on biodiversity, which will reflect regional priorities and will be delivered by the Chairman ASEAN 2026 (Philippines) during the high-level segment at COP 17. The AJS development process involves a series of consultations with ASEAN member states and is expected to be finalised by mid-2026. - Bernama
Tahawul Tech
08-07-2025
- Business
- Tahawul Tech
Comstor empowers partners with white-labelled managed SOC built on Cisco XDR
Comstor's new Managed SOC solution is enabling partners across EMEA—especially in the Middle East—to scale cybersecurity services without heavy upfront investment. Cybersecurity has evolved into a mission-critical pillar for businesses navigating a complex threat landscape. Comstor's newly launched white-labelled Managed SOC (Security Operations Centre) built on Cisco's robust XDR platform provides channel partners with an agile route to market. By offering 24×7 monitoring, centralised management, and seamless integration, the solution empowers partners to deliver advanced threat detection and response under their own brand. In this exclusive dual interview, Steven Heinsius, Comstor EMEA Vice President, Product Management and Marketing, and Siva Kumar, Architecture Lead – Security, Cloud & AI, Managed Services, Comstor Saudi Arabia, share the strategic intent, partner-driven innovation, and regional relevance behind the launch. Interview Excerpts: We hear that Comstor has launched its first managed SOC (Security Operations Centre) offering for channel partners. Tell us more. Steven Heinsius: Comstor is bringing to market a managed SOC offering that enables partners to tap into the fast-growing cybersecurity services market while avoiding the cost and complexity of building their own solution. It's the first managed SOC offering launched by Westcon-Comstor and the first to utilise Cisco XDR (Extended Detection and Response). How does it work in practice? Will partners use Comstor branding when deploying this with their customers? Steven Heinsius: We've purposefully designed this as a white-labelled solution, allowing partners to quickly and easily launch a SOC offering under their own brand. With the Managed XDR SOC from Comstor, partners have access to a single dashboard for efficient and centralised management, plus 24×7 support and monitoring from certified Comstor analysts and engineers, along with access to Cisco expertise. What prompted you to develop this? Steven Heinsius: Honestly, the driver for this has been partner demand. Many of our partners have been asking for this and we're really excited about announcing its availability. The opportunity in this space for partners is huge. The managed XDR market is set to be worth between $8 billion and $10 billion by 2030 in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) alone, as end-user businesses seek more comprehensive threat detection and response solutions to ensure compliance while handling an increasing volume of security alerts and growing attack surfaces. What do you think is at the root of this demand from partners? Steven Heinsius: Establishing a SOC involves significant initial investment and ongoing annualised costs. By deploying the Managed XDR SOC from Comstor, partners can save on these costs while sidestepping the technical and operational challenges associated with SOC development and maintenance, which can typically run to millions of dollars. Do you see the Middle East as an important market for this solution? Siva Kumar: Absolutely. It's available to partners across the EMEA region and we see lots of potential here in the Middle East, with its abundance of mid-sized Cisco partners who are ambitious and hungry for growth but keen to control costs at the same time. What are the key commercial and strategic benefits for partners? Siva Kumar: Our solution enables partners to build new recurring revenue streams through subscription-based models and ongoing service contracts. Partners can expand their service portfolio and provide comprehensive security solutions to end-users, unlocking new growth opportunities and increasing customer retention and loyalty. And for their customers? Siva Kumar: End-users will benefit from proactive protection, increased operational efficiency and enhanced resilience against evolving threats. Continuous, around-the-clock monitoring and superior visibility across security layers provides enhanced threat detection and faster response times. Can you tell us more about Cisco XDR? Siva Kumar: Cisco XDR harnesses multiple security layers (network, endpoint, server, and cloud) and applies advanced analytics, AI, and machine learning to detect, investigate, and respond to cyber threats in real time. Built to be flexible, it integrates seamlessly with existing security architectures, including non-Cisco solutions, and can scale to meet the needs of organisations of all sizes.
The Sun
25-06-2025
- General
- The Sun
Raja Musa Forest Reserve recognised as ASEAN Peatland reference site
KUALA SELANGOR: The Raja Musa Forest Reserve here has been selected by the ASEAN Task Force on Peatlands (ATFP) as a regional reference site for peatland conservation and restoration efforts. ATFP chairman S.R. Siva Kumar said the site was chosen in recognition of the success achieved by the Selangor government and relevant parties in transforming the area, which had been degraded by illegal logging and farming, into a model of integrated peatland conservation acknowledged at the international level. 'Today, delegates from seven countries participating in the 10th ATFP Meeting, including Indonesia, the Philippines, and Laos, were brought here to witness firsthand our efforts in rehabilitating peat forests. 'From the feedback received, many of the visitors, comprising policymakers and scientists, expressed admiration for what has been achieved here and are keen for us to share our approach to peatland conservation,' he said. Siva Kumar, who is also the Biodiversity and Forestry Management Division secretary at the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry, was speaking during the ATFP delegation's site visit to the forest reserve today. He stressed that peatland conservation should be a collective priority due to its vital environmental role, particularly as a significant carbon sink. Malaysia is hosting and chairing the 10th ATFP Meeting from June 24 to 26 at Novotel, Putrajaya, as part of its ASEAN chairmanship this year. Meanwhile, Selangor Forestry Department director Azhar Ahmad said the visit served not only to showcase the state's efforts but also to introduce the work and initiatives of various agencies involved in peatland conservation. 'This site was selected because Selangor is implementing an effective Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for its peat swamp forests, which has yielded positive impacts for the state. 'In addition, this location is one of the research landscapes under the Sustainable Management of Peatland Ecosystems in Malaysia (SMPEM): Rehabilitation of Raja Musa Forest Reserve project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD),' he added. Located in Bestari Jaya, the Raja Musa Forest Reserve was gazetted on Jan 8, 1990, covering an area of 23,486 hectares. It also serves as a production forest, research site and wildlife protection zone. In September 2017, the forest reserve received recognition under the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy (QCC), designating it as a conservation area for future generations.
New Straits Times
25-06-2025
- General
- New Straits Times
Raja Musa forest reserve recognised as Asean peatland reference site
KUALA SELANGOR: The Raja Musa Forest Reserve here has been selected by the Asean Task Force on Peatlands (ATFP) as a regional reference site for peatland conservation and restoration efforts. ATFP chairman S.R. Siva Kumar said the site was chosen in recognition of the success achieved by the Selangor government and relevant parties in transforming the area, which had been degraded by illegal logging and farming, into a model of integrated peatland conservation acknowledged at the international level. "Today, delegates from seven countries participating in the 10th ATFP Meeting, including Indonesia, the Philippines, and Laos, were brought here to witness firsthand our efforts in rehabilitating peat forests. "From the feedback received, many of the visitors, comprising policymakers and scientists, expressed admiration for what has been achieved here and are keen for us to share our approach to peatland conservation," he said. Siva Kumar, who is also the Biodiversity and Forestry Management Division secretary at the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry, was speaking during the ATFP delegation's site visit to the forest reserve today. He stressed that peatland conservation should be a collective priority due to its vital environmental role, particularly as a significant carbon sink. Malaysia is hosting and chairing the 10th ATFP Meeting from June 24 to 26 at Novotel, Putrajaya, as part of its Asean chairmanship this year. Meanwhile, Selangor Forestry Department director Azhar Ahmad said the visit served not only to showcase the state's efforts but also to introduce the work and initiatives of various agencies involved in peatland conservation. "This site was selected because Selangor is implementing an effective Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for its peat swamp forests, which has yielded positive impacts for the state. "In addition, this location is one of the research landscapes under the Sustainable Management of Peatland Ecosystems in Malaysia (SMPEM): Rehabilitation of Raja Musa Forest Reserve project, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)," he added. Located in Bestari Jaya, the Raja Musa Forest Reserve was gazetted on Jan 8, 1990, covering an area of 23,486ha. It also serves as a production forest, research site and wildlife protection zone. In September 2017, the forest reserve received recognition under the Queen's Commonwealth Canopy (QCC), designating it as a conservation area for future generations.
Barnama
25-06-2025
- General
- Barnama
Raja Musa Forest Reserve Recognised As ASEAN Peatland Reference Site
KUALA SELANGOR, June 25 (Bernama) -- The Raja Musa Forest Reserve here has been selected by the ASEAN Task Force on Peatlands (ATFP) as a regional reference site for peatland conservation and restoration efforts. ATFP chairman S.R. Siva Kumar said the site was chosen in recognition of the success achieved by the Selangor government and relevant parties in transforming the area, which had been degraded by illegal logging and farming, into a model of integrated peatland conservation acknowledged at the international level. 'Today, delegates from seven countries participating in the 10th ATFP Meeting, including Indonesia, the Philippines, and Laos, were brought here to witness firsthand our efforts in rehabilitating peat forests. 'From the feedback received, many of the visitors, comprising policymakers and scientists, expressed admiration for what has been achieved here and are keen for us to share our approach to peatland conservation,' he said. Siva Kumar, who is also the Biodiversity and Forestry Management Division secretary at the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry, was speaking during the ATFP delegation's site visit to the forest reserve today. He stressed that peatland conservation should be a collective priority due to its vital environmental role, particularly as a significant carbon sink. Malaysia is hosting and chairing the 10th ATFP Meeting from June 24 to 26 at Novotel, Putrajaya, as part of its ASEAN chairmanship this year. Meanwhile, Selangor Forestry Department director Azhar Ahmad said the visit served not only to showcase the state's efforts but also to introduce the work and initiatives of various agencies involved in peatland conservation. 'This site was selected because Selangor is implementing an effective Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for its peat swamp forests, which has yielded positive impacts for the state.
