UNIMY Collaborates with CyberSecurity Malaysia to Further Develop Talent in the Demanding Sector

Digital technology university UNIMY is proud to announce another industry collaboration, this time with CyberSecurity Malaysia, the national cybersecurity specialist agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). This collaboration is set to benefit UNIMY students, in terms of gaining direct access to the agency and its latest research, development and innovation. A signing ceremony was held on January 27, 2018 between both parties at the UNIMY Putrajaya campus, whereby the official collaboration was agreed upon followed by a signing ceremony of the agreement outlining the collaboration and a campus tour.

Present at the signing ceremony were UNIMY Vice Chancellor Prof Khairuddin AB Hamid, Hasni Haldi, Registrar, Muhammad Amin bin Sahari, Lecturer, Cyber Security in UNIMY along with CyberSecurity Malaysia Chief Executive Officer, Dato’ Dr. Hj. Amirudin Abdul Wahab and the agency’s senior executives in related divisions.Following the agreement, UNIMY and CyberSecurity Malaysia will work closely in various areas concerning the future of cybersecurity human capital in Malaysia. For starters, CyberSecurity Malaysia will contribute in the development of academic modules and curriculum focused on the expertise to ensure UNIMY students are well equipped with the theoretical knowledge and practical capabilities on cybersecurity. This is to ensure that the right talent in the matters of cybersecurity is properly developed and trained, ready to meet the demands of the industry.

“According to a study, by 2020 there will be a deficit of 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals worldwide, which means that there is a huge demand for talent in this field. We believe that it is important for agencies like ours to work closely with universities in building the talent that meet the demands. Universities supply human capital but we do not want them to be irrelevant that they have to be retrained. This is where CyberSecurity Malaysia comes in to build the bridge and produce the right talent for the country,” said Dato’ Dr. Hj. Amirudin in his opening remarks during the event.CyberSecurity Malaysia is already working closely with several universities in the areas of cybersecurity. Aside from contributing to the development of academic modules, the agency is working on building capabilities in research and development through its centres of excellence in various universities. Key personnel from the agency – including the CEO – are also sitting as adjunct professors, adjunct lecturers and on industry advice panels in several universities. No doubt, these initiatives and more will be in place for the collaboration with UNIMY as mutually agreed by both parties.“It is not just about penetration testing, security assessments or risk managements. We can also develop talent in terms of cybersecurity awareness because each and every one of us are now digital citizens. Cybersecurity is not and should not only be seen as a technical matter. It also affects businesses, nations and many sectors,” says Dato’ Dr. Hj. Amirudin.As the first ICT-focused digital technology university in Malaysia with a focus on big data, cybersecurity and coding, UNIMY sets precedence with this collaboration with CyberSecurity Malaysia, driving its initiative forward in engaging students to participate in solving real-global issues and problems using technology as well as making invaluable industry knowledge and experience highly accessible. It is part of the university’s commitment and focus in engaging the industry to develop and mentor the next-generation technology experts. At the same time, collaborations as such create a robust learning/teaching community where students learn and benefit from the very best.Aside from CyberSecurity Malaysia, UNIMY has signed on other industry partners such as KPMG, Fusionex, Alibaba Cloud, Microsoft, Huawei, Autodesk and many more through its parent company, Prestariang Berhad.