Cisco, the biggest security provider in Singapore, will now be known as Certis Cisco.

Internationally, it will go by the name, Certis, which is derived from the Latin word for assurance, "certe".

Unveiling the new names at the Shangri-La hotel on Thursday, chairman Bernard Chen said: "The re-branding is opportune as it underlines our global aspirations to establish our own global identity.?

The company shares the same name as an American supplier of networking equipment, and this could prove quite confusing in foreign countries.

In the last 10 years, Cisco has established joint venture companies in Indonesia, India and Sri Lanka, and today its international arm operates in more than 63 cities, spanning the region from the Middle East to China, with over 26,000 employees.

In the next two to three years, it intends to establish its foothold in 12 countries.

It started off in 1958 as a guard and escort unit under the police force, and in 1972, was turned into a statutory board known as The Commercial & Industrial Security Corporation, or Cisco in short.

Two years ago, it was corporatised as a fully owned subsidiary of Temasek holdings, as Cisco Security Pte Ltd.

Today, it employs about 6,400 employees here and its services include the provision of armed and unarmed guards, alarm monitoring, security consulting, training and transportation, and safe deposit boxes.

Asked by The Straits Times about the new name, Mr Samuel Yong, loss prevention manager for the Dairy Farm retail outlets, said: ?People will probably still call them Cisco. It is easier than saying Certis."