Mainland China cybersecurity firms tap Hong Kong market amid increasing demand for talent

Mainland Chinese cybersecurity companies are expanding their operations to Hong Kong to tap the city's increasing demand for cybersecurity talent, as Hong Kong experiences recurrent incidents of hacking amid its drive to become a technology and innovation hub.

Beijing-headquartered Qi An Xin, one of the biggest cybersecurity firms in mainland China, will set up at the Hong Kong Science Park, with operations including an international research and development (R&D) and talent training centre, a business centre and a security operation centre, the company said on Friday.

Home to more than 1,500 companies and some of Hong Kong's top data centre providers, the Science Park will enlist Qi An Xin to help companies at the government-run incubator strengthen their network security and act as testing platforms for the cybersecurity firm, said Albert Wong, CEO of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Wong spoke at a ceremony for the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Qi An Xin and the Science Park, attended by Hong Kong's Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong and Hao Yinxing, a director at the China liaison office.

Qi An Xin will also provide services to the city's government, public institutions and companies in sectors including financial services, education, healthcare and transportation, the company said.

Beijing Integrity Technology, a Shanghai-listed company that provides cybersecurity training to enterprises, announced on Thursday that it would set up an operation in Hong Kong next year to train local talent.

Hong Kong's digital transformation has brought a "huge wave of opportunities", which brings the need for security, Cai Jingjing, chairman of Beijing Integrity Technology, said in a media briefing on Thursday.

"Meeting this demand requires a significant number of skilled professionals," Cai said. "We can see that there is a very urgent demand in Hong Kong for the cultivation of cybersecurity talent, which is our main focus."

In the first half of the year, Qi An Xin was the biggest company in mainland China's IT security consulting market, and Beijing Integrity Technology was the country's top firm in corporate cybersecurity training, according to a report by IDC last month.

Several Hong Kong organisations have fallen victim to hacking attacks this year, highlighting the challenges the city faces as it strives to become an international innovation and technology hub.

In September, a ransomware group reportedly blackmailed the Hong Kong government-funded business park Cyberport after hacking its computer system and stealing and encrypting the data. Cyberport said that the stolen personal data of staff, former workers and job applicants, including some credit card information, has surfaced on the dark web.

Hong Kong's Privacy Commissioner's Office also said in September that it was checking data breaches reported by the city's consumer watchdog, the Consumer Council, while Hong Kong Post in October reported a data breach involving about 7,200 email addresses of account holders who subscribed to its electronic service function.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.