©2025 Akamai Technologies
Without information security, you don’t have any operations. We urge everybody to pay close attention to the importance of information security, which is just as important as other aspects of the business.
Huang Tien-Mu, Chairperson of the Taiwan Financial Supervisory Commission
Do you believe you have achieved complete information security around IT deployed inside and outside of the company? This was the first question posed in an interview with the general manager of Digicentre, Paul Ding. He states, “We need to understand that each industry has its own special requirements.” He added that the deployment of information security is a hard nut to crack for all enterprises, so this statement applies equally to all companies regardless of operations, management, staff deployment, or network logic. On the contrary, Ding said Digicentre deploys information security that suits the company’s current stage of operations, and only then can operations and information security protections be in perfect balance.
From practicing through hacker attacks to a complete information security services provider
Over the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, a host of industries in Taiwan have taken a hit or been forced to transform. However, two industries have prospered: ecommerce and online games. Mention “Lineage” or “Lineage M” to players of online mobile games or board games around the world, and they’ll recognize the name. The key driver behind these games’ popularity is Gamania Digital Entertainment. This is a company with less than 30 years of business experience and revenue in excess of NT$10 billion. Cloud operations and transactions are key to business performance, but how does the company continue to be successful?
Ding recalled that more than 10 years ago, when he was technical director at Gamania Digital Entertainment, they were at the forefront of the game industry. When many companies were thinking about information security in terms of scaling computer equipment or updating software, Gamania Digital Entertainment was already combating hackers. This challenge forced Gamania to join up with well-known foreign information security companies, allowing them to gain anti-hacking knowledge and skills earlier than others in their industry.
Ding emphasizes that Gamania Digital Entertainment is an industry player with fully virtual operations. The slightest slip-up by a game on the cloud has a direct and serious impact on operations and revenue. As a result, the company is fully committed to supporting and investing in its information security department. In 2009, Gamania Digital Entertainment established the Digicentre R&D subsidiary. Four years later, Digicentre also began to officially provide information security services to external companies. This was a great leap forward in its operations, changing from its past first-party role to being a trustworthy partner and provider of information security services to third parties.
Direct cloud deployment when overwhelmed by cloud attacks
Ding seamlessly transitioned from the position of technical director of Gamania Digital Entertainment to deputy chief operating officer of Digicentre in 2013. In 2016, he was promoted to general manager of Digicentre, a post that he currently holds. He said that Digicentre is fully committed to providing third-party services while continuing to focus on its primary task of maintaining information security for Gamania Digital Entertainment. While Digicentre performs daily maintenance, it also steps up to respond to the ever-changing environment of information technology.
The reality is that cloud networks will be attacked. The methods of these attacks are increasingly novel, such as using IoT devices as a springboard or by increasing attack traffic many times over. Ding emphasizes that Gamania Digital Entertainment cannot continue to adopt the same set of methods used in the past, such as scaling out equipment to carry the load traffic, because it will eventually run up against usage and space constraints of the equipment. As a result, Gamania Digital Entertainment’s approach of blocking malicious attacks from devices transformed into a cloud CDN defense model, allowing for a broader and deeper information security deployment on the cloud.
Digicentre deploys a cloud security framework for Gamania Digital Entertainment from the device to the cloud, and also works with Akamai, a global content delivery network (CDN) security vendor. Relying on the integrity and professionalism of Akamai’s cloud defense core, Digicentre gains a rich database of real-time updates from all over the world to block malware attacks from the source in real time. It also allows for comprehensive and strict monitoring. Akamai is a professional cloud security vendor that offers capable solutions from in-depth, vertical protection to horizontal information security. Akamai has been well received for many years and is also a good partner for collaboration in the field of information security and protection.
NIST detection is favored for strong deployment of information security
The cloud offers infinite space, and it is the lifeline of online gaming and ecommerce operators. It is extremely important for online gaming and ecommerce players in terms of revenue, customer loyalty, corporate image, and customer experience. According to Ding’s analysis, when Digicentre served enterprise customers in the past, it often operated by sharing past experiences, as Gamania Digital Entertainment was typically attacked earlier than other enterprises. This factor also enabled the Digicentre team to put itself in its clients’ shoes, relate to their needs and sense of urgency, and consider whether the clients’ current capabilities and resources are up to the task. The team can then further assist in the deployment of information security defenses or provide an optimal solution.
Ding further adds that when both business and personal social interactions are cloud-based, companies must maintain vigilant defenses around both internal and external cloud environments. The basic approach for enterprises when deploying information security defenses should be “assume that hackers will eventually invade the network structure.” As a result, he feels companies should adopt an approach of monitoring, plus multilevel protections, to construct the whole information security protection area.
Let us take Digicentre’s information security protection services provided to Gamania Digital Entertainment as an example. The first step was to enhance detection along the five functions of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. One of the biggest challenges facing the gaming industry is the various stresses in response to attacks that are underway. For example, how long will it take me to know that I have been attacked, how do I know which area of my network layer the hacker has invaded, and how can I activate the response mechanism in the shortest time to minimize the loss and damage? Ding noted that by deploying detection, not only can companies detect an attack as early as possible, but they can also immediately shore up their defenses and prepare proactive measures before an attack occurs.
Information security vs. operations
Ding has rich experience in the industry, including many years of experience in leading IT units, so he is especially adept at incorporating business operations into information security planning. He is deeply aware of the fact that operations must be sustainable, while account information security must also be taken into account. The two go hand in hand. This year, Digicentre enters its 10th year of operation. Digicentre now plays the part of an international vendor that continues to expand its range of services with technology, services, and professional partners, including working with Akamai to protect online operations.
Ding noted that the chairman of Gamania once said, “Without information security, you don’t have a business.” This remark is in line with Huang Tien-Mu, the Chairperson of the Taiwan Financial Supervisory Commission, who mentioned online platforms in the finance industry as an example of an important channel for serving customers. Tien-Mu reminded all players in the ecological network chain of the finance industry, “Without information security, you don’t have any operations. We urge everybody to pay close attention to the importance of information security, which is just as important as other aspects of the business.”
About Digicentre
Digicentre started as an IT department from a large gaming company. The team spun off its IDC, security, and integration services to provide a unique offering and experience to other companies. Digicentre’s three major data centers are built on direct peering networks with major telecom providers. Its operations and services continue to grow, and its 24/7 services handle more than 450,000 concurrent users and more than 240 million monthly members. Digicentre is owned by publicly listed shareholders: Gamania and MDS.
About Akamai
Akamai is the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online. Our market-leading security solutions, superior threat intelligence, and global operations team provide defense in depth to safeguard enterprise data and applications everywhere. Akamai’s full-stack cloud computing solutions deliver performance and affordability on the world’s most distributed platform. Global enterprises trust Akamai to provide the industry-leading reliability, scale, and expertise they need to grow their business with confidence. Learn more at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or follow Akamai Technologies on X and LinkedIn.