Image: Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (CCoE) opening ceremony officiated by Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, Canada's Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development, The Honorable Mary Ng, and BlackBerry CEO, John Giamatteo, March 2024.
How do you narrow the cybersecurity skills gap, boost the number of women in security and make your country’s general population more aware of cyberthreats? Just ask the Malaysian Government, because they are making progress in all these areas as the nation prepares to be the Chair of the ASEAN region in 2025, and nominates it "The Year of Skills."
More than six months ago, Malaysia opened a Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (CCoE) in collaboration with BlackBerry and the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), as part of a landmark cybersecurity agreement. Open to everyone of all skill levels the CCoE is playing an important role, helping to grow a robust cybersecurity workforce alongside other government initiatives. The facility is also fast becoming an international destination for cybersecurity up-skilling and investment, with $3.9 million (CAD) in training courses and scholarships just announced by the Government of Canada on November 17.
In this post, we’ll explore some of what’s happened as we celebrate the eight-month milestone of the CCoE.
The Importance of a Cybersecure Malaysia
With increasing digitalization across sectors, Malaysia and the wider ASEAN region face a pressing need to bolster cybersecurity defenses. Recent reports indicate that Malaysia has experienced a rise in cyberthreats, with a notable increase in phishing attacks and ransomware incidents affecting both public and private sectors. The CCoE was established in response to support regional cyber-resilience and capacity building, particularly Malaysia’s long-term goal to have 30,000 trained cybersecurity professionals by 2030.
All involved with the CCoE are committed to increasing the cyber resilience of the nation by reducing the cybersecurity skills gap. Our focus ranges from awareness training to advanced certifications and coaching.
A Closer Look at CCoE's Cybersecurity Offerings
There are cybersecurity learning opportunities for nearly everyone through the CCoE. Some courses and programs are entry level, others are intermediate, and there are also advanced or specialist courses.
This variety of CCoE trainings meet the diverse needs of Malaysia's cybersecurity landscape.
- Entry-Level Courses: Covering basic cybersecurity understanding, these are crucial for all sectors.
- Intermediate to Advanced Courses: These sessions include identity and access management (IAM), cloud security, and upcoming AI insider security.
- Role-Based Training: Some courses are tailored for specific roles like SOC analysts, incident responders, pen-testers and other specialties.
To deliver all of this, we bring internationally recognized curriculum and locally curated courses to address in-country needs, catering to both technical and non-technical backgrounds.
This includes a BlackBerry Cybersecurity Curriculum and courses through highly respected partners like SANS, ISC2, CompTIA, and the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst. Additionally, the CCoE launched a "Cybersecurity for All" initiative, to provide free webinars and online resources and raise cybersecurity awareness among all Malaysian citizens.
Enhancing Diversity Within Cybersecurity
To expand and diversify Malaysia's cybersecurity workforce, BlackBerry and the CCoE partnered with Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst and SANS Institute to increase the representation of women in the field. The Catalyst and SANS offered three women full scholarships to its CLIC (Certifications for Leadership in Cybersecurity) program in Malaysia, which focuses on practical certification and leadership development. This initiative not only enhances technical skills but also emphasizes critical thinking and effective communication.
Norzaini Elias was one of the students who attended the CLIC program: "The CLIC program is a good starting point for people who are looking to transition their career into cybersecurity. For someone transitioning back into tech like me, it’s been invaluable."
And she says it’s compact, works with her job schedule, and is immersive. “In the program, we learn a lot of hands-on cybersecurity tools in labs. It’s not just something to read. It’s good to level-up, and to understand cybersecurity, and I hope you will continue to offer it for the next batch of students.”
Another CLIC student, Nabilla Sharil, recently shared how her studies through the CCoE empowered her. “This accomplishment marks a significant milestone toward a career in cybersecurity.” She continued, “I hope to inspire more women to join the field and contribute to Malaysia’s rapidly growing need for cybersecurity professionals.”
