HELP University and Cybersecurity Malaysia Collaborates in Cyber Security Training and Services

HELP University (HU) and CyberSecurity Malaysia have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to offer courses and professional trainings in cybersecurity as well as a cybersecurity health check service for companies, and also to educate students and the public with cybersecurity, literacy and awareness.

In 2020, CyberSecurity Malaysia and HU signed a Memorandum of Understanding to kick start on several activities, including training of HELP lecturers. To date, 6 staff have completed the cybersecurity certification programmes under the Global Accredited Cybersecurity Education (Global ACE) Certification scheme.

In the collaboration HELP University is also approved to be a Global ACE Certification Examination Centre and provider of an integrated curriculum for cybersecurity professional certification and education. 

Professor Datuk Dr Paul Chan, Vice-Chancellor of HELP University says, “This partnership with CyberSecurity Malaysia is strategic and timely. First, there is synergy with CSM’s certification courses with our Masters of Economic Crime Management programme offered by the Institute of Crime and Criminology. Second, the cybersecurity challenge is growing and thus the need for well trained and qualified cybersecurity personnel is urgently needed. Third, the professionalisation of cybersecurity practices will also help to develop systematically the cybersecurity industry. As Malaysia is ranked 5^th. in the global ranking of ITU Global Cyber Security Index 2020, this joint initiative will enhance Malaysia as the regional center for cybersecurity education and consultancy. Lastly, it is also crucial that cybersecurity literacy be disseminated to all Malaysians as we are now more exposed to cybersecurity threats since we use more technology devices.”

HELP University has set up the Centre of Industry Revolution 4.0 under the Faculty of Computing and Digital Technology to manage this collaboration. Various cybersecurity competency oriented courses will be offered under the Center.

Dato’ Ts. Dr. Hj. Amirudin Bin Abdul Wahab, Chief Executive Officer of CyberSecurity Malaysia stresses that cybersecurity threats are growing with the rapid expansion of data driven technologies making cyber risk management crucial in any business or organisation. Yet, the world including Malaysia is facing a huge shortage of highly skilled and qualified cybersecurity professionals. This is a global issue as competent personnel are not easily identified while the process of qualifying and accrediting are always an uphill task. The above scenario created a vacuum of opportunity in the area of cybersecurity education.

CyberSecurity Malaysia with the support from the government, academia and industry, has established the cybersecurity professional certification scheme known as The Global Accredited Cybersecurity Education (Global ACE) Certification that is aligned with international standards of ISO/IEC 17024, ISO/IEC 27001 & ISO 9001.

Global ACE Certification is recognized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as the Winner for The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes 2020 under Category 5: Building Confidence and Security in The Use of ICTs. This is an achievement and acknowledgement of Global ACE Certification’s contribution towards society locally and globally.

The Global ACE Certification is established to identify, nurture, and enhance cybersecurity knowledge workers continuously. It is designated to elevate these knowledge workers to be competent and toward professionalism.

Through the Global ACE certification, CyberSecurity Malaysia has established various synergistic collaboration with public and private organizations such as universities and colleges by embedding cybersecurity professional certifications into their education syllabuses to value-add graduates.

Professor Chan stresses that HELP University, as a Premier Digital Tech Institution, has launched the National Upskilling Program for upskilling and reskilling Malaysians for the digital world. The Master of Data Science and the Master of Applied Business Analytics are offered at RM8,000 to help various groups to enhance their employability and earning capacity. These programmes, including Cybersecurity Micro-credentials, complement the joint HU-CSM cybersecurity training.”