
Cyberoam, a leading global provider of network security appliance, said there is a high demand for network security professionals in the Philippines.
The US-based company said the need for more Filipino network security professionals is continuously increasing as local businesses shift to new data and network technologies.
“We believe that the Philippines, as an emerging market, has seen tremendous growth particularly in the manufacturing and services sector. As businesses adapt to the latest in cloud, mobility, virtualization and big data, there is a growing demand for network security professionals who can deal with the challenges in the evolving tech-landscape,” said Amar Mehta Sr., Head of Cyberoam Asia Pacific (APAC).
A 2015 Frost & Sullivan study showed 62% of the global respondents stated that their organizations have “too few” information security professionals.
According to 14,000 respondents, an insufficient pool of suitable security candidates is causing this widening skills gap. The report estimates the shortfall in the global information security workforce will reach 1.5 million in five years.
“The present educational setups in most emerging economies like the Philippines are not ready to meet this demand and hence we have seen a high uptake of our training certifications here in the Philippines. In fact, in Asia Pacific, the Philippines has the second highest number of Cyberoam certified professionals,” Mehta said.
The country comes after Thailand, which has the most number of Cyberoam certified network security professionals in Asia Pacific. Taiwan ranks third followed by Malaysia and Indonesia.
To date, Cyberoam has produced more than 15,000 Cyberoam certified network security professionals and engineers worldwide.
In the Philippines, the network security company has been offering Cyberoam Certified Network Security Professionals (CCNSP) and Cyberoam Certified Network Security Experts (CCNSE) programs since 2008.
These CCNSP and CCNSE programs, which include rigorous practical training modules and interactive sessions, are designed to meet the current network security industry requirements.
Cyberoam and its local partner NetPlay Inc. has been conducting network security trainings in selected centers in Manila and Cebu.
Most of the Cyberoam certified professionals are currently employed as IT consultants and network and firewall administrator in various industries
Cyberoam, however, said more network security programs are needed to supply the current demand for skilled professionals.
The company aims to help produce more network security skilled workers through its free short-course program under its training arm, the Cyberoam Academy.
“Because the demand for network security skills in the Philippines is much higher than the supply, we want to close this gap through the Cyberoam Academy,” said Ajay Nawani, chief of Cyberoam Academy.
Nawani said the Cyberoam Academy aims to bridge the missing link of education, career and industry. “This would entail though a major contribution from the local educational institutions,” he said.
Cyberoam Academy recently opened its partnership program for universities and colleges in the Philippines.
Through Cyberoam Academy, local university partners will be offering a free short network security course called Novice to Professional. This 56-hour training program will provide high quality cybersecurity training for Filipino students.
“Once we have more Cyberoam Academy university partners, we can offer our free network security courses to more Filipino students. This means we can produce more network security professionals and experts that we hope can augment the current skills demand of the Philippines’ evolving IT security landscape,” said Nawani.