As Sri Lanka accelerates its digital transformation, attention is shifting beyond the protection of government systems to the cybersecurity of businesses and other parts of the economy increasingly dependent on interconnected digital infrastructure, Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Chathuranga Abeysinghe said at the World CIO 200 Summit 2026 on Thursday (24).
Speaking at the event, Abeysinghe said: “It is crucial that every country understands the aspects of security and resilience in technology, as this digital transformation topic is evolving rapidly across each sector we introduce technology to, whether it’s a government or private sector or individuals. We have put a lot of effort over the past year to ensure that the government services and where the citizens are involved are protected and strengthened. But going beyond that, I think the industries and their security, data, IPs and their vulnerabilities have to be ensured and secured as a nation.”
He said: “We are now all open to technology, and we are adapting towards it. Sometimes there is no escape, especially when it comes to national initiatives. Therefore, I think it's very important that as a nation we take care of the systems and the technology that we operate, and that it has enough strength and security that protects the citizens as well as the national interest.”
“We have to build systems and technology that will protect us from external technologies that are accessed by our people, which we are struggling with, at certain levels, especially in terms of money laundering and other forms of illegal activities that are happening online. That poses a threat, but this topic is evolving and I’m sure it will strengthen further as we go along,” he said.
“Unlike physical assets and services, digital services are mostly connected to cloud services, where those services are provided by other parts of the world. And, it is very difficult to find a boundary in technological services. But as the technology has advanced there are various options to secure oneself, and I think each government has taken various initiatives on that aspect,” Abeysinghe said.
“Sri Lanka is taking a robust approach to cybersecurity, with the Ministry of Digital Economy having worked over the past two years to establish a robust framework for governance and security, particularly through the government data exchange that we are building, where it will ensure that both the government services and the information about citizens will be secured at a national level,” he said.