KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 ― Malaysia can be a leading player in Asia for cyber security after Singapore, an expert said today.

Microsoft's Government Cybersecurity Policy and Strategy director Kaja Cligic said on a policy level, Putrajaya has already put a lot of emphasis on it for the past two decades and Malaysia can help share knowledge with other countries in the region.

"In terms of the policy side, I think cybersecurity in Malaysia has been in place for a long time. It's for over 20 years there has been a lot of good policies and frameworks,” she told reporters after a roundtable discussion as part of the Transformasi Nasional 2050 programme.

Cligic explained that this is quite competent for a country in Asia after Singapore, which has become the regional leader.

She however said that looking into the future, more focus should be given on areas like "cloud computing, big data and new innovations”.

Cligic added traditional minded companies should also be exposed to the importance of cyber security to ensure that they invest more in the sector.

"More needs to be done in terms of looking at the future. Traditional companies are not paying enough attention,” she said.

Today's roundtable policy discussion included top players from the government and private sector to gauge their aspirations for the industry by 2050.