A PASSION for policing the realm of computers led Tan Swee Wan to found TecBiz FrisMan, a firm that provides digital investigation and software asset management (SAM) services.
The firm, set up in 2001, started off with computer forensics, 'where we go through electronic data to find relevant evidence to support corporate investigations and litigations', said Mr Tan, who was formerly head of the Computer Crime Branch of the Singapore Police Force's Criminal Investigation Department.
He worked for the Force for about 12 years - during which he attended international conferences and training in combating computer crimes held by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Secret Service in the United States - before deciding to establish TecBiz.
The firm, headquartered in Singapore with offices in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, posted revenue of about $2.5 million last financial year, up from $1.8 million for the preceding year. Mr Tan hopes sales will hit $3 million this year.
"When people buy software assets, they only look at whether they're compliant or non-compliant, but often, it's not so much about compliance. Much effort has to be put into maximising the software licences, the value of the investment you've put into these assets." - Mr Tan
TecBiz's digital investigation team works with corporate lawyers, litigators or internal security departments to look into a particular case - which may involve corporate fraud or intellectual-property related enforcement, for instance - and provides the client with advice on the type of data that can potentially be analysed to obtain evidence, he explained.
The first step of the procedure, said Mr Tan, is rather similar to 'what you see in the movies' - identifying the exhibits that contain data that can be used as evidence, and then to take photographs and tag the exhibits. This is then followed by 'image acquisition' - or cloning of the hard disk - and the subsequent search for relevant information, either through the use of keywords or by examining technical data created by the system, which the user is not aware of.
'Data don't talk; they present themselves,' he said. 'Many times, (the investigation process) depends on the interpretation of the data and the associated data to confirm that they are indeed presenting a true picture.'
The firm's digital investigation services seem to be well received, if its track record is anything to go by. Mr Tan told BT that TecBiz took on several high-profile cases last year, including the National Kidney Foundation's (NKF) legal action against its former board of directors.
'We acted for the new board of the NKF; we were supposed to be the first witness, but too bad he threw in the towel,' he said, referring to former NKF chief, TT Durai.
Meanwhile, the firm's SAM services help clients organise their software assets to maximise their investments, he said, adding that he feels this is 'a much-neglected area'.
'When people buy software assets, they only look at whether they're compliant or non-compliant, but often, it's not so much about compliance. Much effort has to be put into maximising the software licences, the value of the investment you've put into these assets,' he said.
'For example, many people buy software based on the user's perceived need, but there's no proper evaluation of whether it's the right software for the user, and whether the user is the best person to use that piece of software.
'Money has been invested into buying wrong software or buying software for the wrong user, so we provide consulting services to help our customers do a process review, look at how they currently process their software purchases and how they keep track and securely store their software assets.'
TecBiz, which is the appointed trainer for SAM for Microsoft in Asia-Pacific, as well as the adviser for the tech giant's Global SAM Partners Advisory Programme, counts among its clients Thai Airways and Chinese firm CNOOC.
Despite its impressive track record thus far, there are still challenges faced by the firm, one of which is 'the ability to retain, train and attract talents', said Mr Tan. 'To attract talents, we have to compete with larger organisations which have better budgets and systems to train and retain talents... so (it's something) we constantly have to overcome.'
He hopes to increase regional sales - which currently makes up about 40 per cent of the firm's total business - to about 60 per cent, as well as to 'have some form of presence in China'.
'We see potential in China, especially in SAM, because it has a very high piracy rate,' he said. 'But in recent years, the central government pushed very hard for a 100 per cent legalisation. As a result, many large organisations have invested a lot in softwares, so we'll go in and provide services to help them maximise their investments.'
