Verity journal

In Malaysia’s fast-growing technology sector, hiring the right talent is more than a matter of productivity—it’s a question of trust, compliance, and long-term sustainability. With startups scaling fast and digital-first operations becoming the new standard, a single bad hire can derail projects, expose systems to threats, and jeopardise data integrity. That is why comprehensive background screening is an essential first step in safeguarding your company’s future.

In the tech industry, employees often have access to customer data, proprietary codebases, and intellectual property. This makes trust a central pillar of the hiring process. It’s not just about whether someone can do the job—it’s about whether they can be trusted with access, information, and autonomy. 

In 2020, a major Southeast Asian e-commerce company suffered a massive breach affecting more than 1.4 million customer accounts. The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) found that the hacker had likely obtained the database after an employee saved the key’s software code in an online repository. The hiring company failed to verify his employment history or criminal record. What could have been caught with background screening services resulted in massive reputational damage.

How Background Checks Reduce Risk

Today’s tech companies operate in cloud-based work environments. Employees may work from different cities—or even different continents. Background checks act as an essential filter, identifying risks before they infiltrate your organisation. Here are the five most important types of checks every Malaysian tech company should implement:

1. Criminal Background Checks

Criminal checks help identify individuals with a history of cybercrime, fraud, theft, or other offences that may compromise your business. In the tech world, where employees handle source code, server access, customer databases, and even payment systems–the risk is high. Criminal activity is not visible on a résumé, and candidates are unlikely to disclose this information voluntarily.

For companies hiring developers, IT administrators, cybersecurity analysts, or anyone in an access-level role, this check is indispensable. With Verity Intelligence, companies can screen candidates against local databases for known offences and regulatory red flags, ensuring peace of mind before an offer is made.

2. Employment History Verification

Résumés can be embellished, and job titles can be inflated. Employment verification ensures that what’s written on paper matches actual history. More importantly, it helps identify candidates who may have been terminated for misconduct, security breaches, or performance issues.

For leadership hires, project managers, or anyone taking over critical systems or teams, verifying past employment is essential. Verity Intelligence verifies tenure, roles, responsibilities, and reasons for resignation or termination by contacting former employers and checking against formal records.

3. Education and Certification Verification

In a sector flooded with self-taught developers and bootcamp graduates, it’s increasingly common for candidates to list unverifiable credentials. From fake diplomas to made-up coding bootcamp certifications, false claims can be hard to detect.

Education verification confirms that the candidate has completed the academic programmes, certifications, and technical trainings they claim to have. This is crucial for roles like software engineers, data scientists, DevOps specialists, and cybersecurity professionals, where certain credentials are foundational. Verity Intelligence verifies qualification from universities, online academies, and niche technical institutions, both locally and abroad.

4. Financial Background Screening

This is particularly for employees working in fintech, billing, procurement, or roles handling sensitive financial data. Financial screening identifies bankruptcy filings, civil claims, debt levels, and other issues that could indicate a higher risk of fraud or bribery.

This type of check is especially relevant for companies handling payments, digital wallets, crypto exchanges, or customer billing platforms. With Verity Intelligence, employers gain insight into a candidate’s financial standing in a compliant and non‑discriminatory way.

5. Reference Checks

Beyond skills and experiences, a candidate’s past behaviour and professional integrity are often revealed through conversations with former managers, supervisors, or peers. Reference checks help identify red flags such as poor communication, toxic behaviour, non-compliance with policies, or lack of accountability.

Why Tech Companies Need Background Checks Now

Insider threats now account for a significant percentage of cybersecurity breaches. With more employees working remotely and accessing systems from personal devices or public networks, the risk is amplified. A disgruntled employee or an under-vetted hire can easily compromise a network or leak confidential information.

Companies must demonstrate due diligence in their hiring practices to avoid potential liability in the event of a breach. By implementing robust background screening policies, tech companies not only protect their assets but also signal compliance and professionalism to clients, investors, and regulators.

Conclusion

The future of Malaysia’s tech industry lies in its people—but only if the right people are placed in the right roles. Malaysian tech companies must go beyond traditional recruitment methods and embrace proactive risk management through background screening. These 5 types of background checks offer a critical line of defence against threats, ensuring that your workforce is competent, compliant, and trustworthy. Secure your tech workforce today—contact Verity Intelligence for fast, accurate background checks that keep your business safe.