18 Dec 2013. Singapore Polytechnic launches Singapore’s first Cyber Security Academy amongst Institutes of Higher Learning to provide cyber-defence assessment services and training.
Singapore Polytechnic (SP) today launched the first and only Cyber Security Academy amongst Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL) in Singapore. The Academy will allow corporate and government organisations to test the resiliency of their IT systems against cyber-attacks with a comprehensive suite of cyber-defence assessment services. It will also provide Continuing Education and Training (CET) courses to working professionals, allowing them to keep ahead of technology or to seek a new career in infocomm security.
At the same time, the Academy will help to address the shortage of IT security professionals faced by the industry. According to the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore, there were only 1,200 IT security specialists in 2012 and this represents 0.8 per cent of the 144,300 infocomm workers in Singapore.
The establishment of the Academy is also in line with the National Cyber Security Masterplan 2018 by the Infocomm Development Authority. Through the many programmes, the Masterplan aims to address the threat posed by the rising number of sophisticated cyber-attacks, exacerbated by the shortage of cyber-security experts needed to mitigate them. This is done through the development of human and intellectual capital and working with IHLs by incorporating cyber-security into curriculum programmes.
Housed in SP’s existing Cyber Wargame Centre, the Academy was conceived with a Memorandum of Cooperation signed in September 2013 between SP and Ixia. This marks SP as the first IHL in South East Asia to be equipped with Ixia’s flagship BreakingPoint security test solutions. This will allow the simulation of realistic large-scale cyber-attacks of up to 7.5 million users to assess the resiliency of IT systems against such attacks. One such common cyber-attack is the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), which aims to overload a website by injecting malicious high-volume traffic.
Mr Naveen Bhat, VP and GM of Ixia Asia-Pacific said, “We are very pleased to be a part of this collaborative effort with SP to help raise Singapore’s capability to withstand the increasing threat from cyber-attacks. Ixia believes that the launch of this new facility will offer students and IT security professionals the most realistic environment to train and prepare for the increasing number of cyber-attacks we are seeing in Singapore and ASEAN”
The five-day basic CET course conducted by the Academy will see participants undergoing hands-on training in theoretical and practical cyber-security concepts as part of Ixia’s unique ‘Cyber Range Essentials’ curriculum.
The basic CET course will equip IT professionals and adult learners with the knowledge and skills in effectively conducting offensive and defensive cyber-security operations, empowering them to play an integral role in their organisation’s cyber-security efforts.
Professionals and organisations can continue with an advanced CET course to gain a deeper understanding of using a safe virtual environment for cyber-warfare training and cyber-technology development.
Mr Liew Chin Chuan, Course Manager for Diploma in Infocomm Security Management said, “With this new set-up, course participants will now have the first-hand appreciation of large-scale cyber-attacks and the latest threats. Our staff will also be empowered to impart such critical knowledge to their students, which will enhance their knowledge and thus empowering them to deal with real-world cyber-security threats”.
Moving forward, other industry partners such as e-COP and ST Electronics will also make use of the Academy to conduct other relevant courses, catering to the demands of the growing cyber-security industry.
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For more information, please contact:
Tan Jiunn Ngee Corporate Communications Dept T: 6772 1347 M: 9841 4206 | Marilyn Tan Corporate Communications Dept T: 6772 1350 M: 9011 9931 |
About Singapore Polytechnic (www.sp.edu.sg)
Established in 1954, Singapore Polytechnic (SP) is Singapore’s first polytechnic. It has 10 schools that offer 49 full-time diploma courses for close to 16,000 students. SP has adopted a proven creative teaching and learning framework and it offers students a holistic, authentic and industry-relevant curriculum, innovative and vibrant learning spaces, and enriching overseas programmes.
The Polytechnic is committed to producing competent and versatile graduates, who are also imbued with sound values, so that they can be work ready, life ready and world-ready. Among the network of more than 170,000 SP alumni are successful entrepreneurs, top executives in multinational and public-listed corporations, and well-known professionals across various industries and leaders in government.
SP is the first polytechnic to be awarded the President’s Award for the Environment in 2010 and the President's Social Service Award in 2011.
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About Ixia
Ixia develops amazing products so its customers can connect the world. Ixia helps its customers provide an always-on user experience through fast, secure delivery of dynamic, connected technologies and services. Through actionable insights that accelerate and secure application and service delivery, Ixia’s customers benefit from faster time to market, optimized application performance and higher-quality deployments. Learn more at http://www.ixiacom.com.
