KUALA LUMPUR: OpenAcademy expects the cybersecurity talent pool in Malaysia to grow around 15% in the next five years and it aims to play a significant role in addressing the skills shortage in the sector.
OpenAcademy co-founder and managing director Celine Ting said the expected growth is due to increasing demand for cybersecurity professionals in various industries and the government’s initiatives to enhance cybersecurity skills in the country.
“As a result, more academic platforms and educational institutions offer cybersecurity programmes to meet this demand and prepare employees for knowledge in this field.
“OpenAcademy will offer accessible learning content and courses by cybersecurity experts, where the company wants to play a role in ensuring individuals have a fundamental understanding of cybersecurity – allowing individuals to discover easier and making cybersecurity easy to learn.”
Ting said the search for skilled professionals to combat escalating cyber threats remains crucial in Malaysia, following the prime minister’s recent statement that the country requires 25,000 trained workers in cybersecurity in 2025.
“The shortage of cybersecurity talent is a persistent challenge for businesses of all sizes and sectors, as the growing importance of both technical and non-technical skills highlights the multidimensional nature of modern cybersecurity roles, which vary widely across specialisations, organisations and industries,” she added.
Ting said that being able to secure cloud environments, including understanding cloud architecture, shared responsibility models and specific cloud provider security tools to ensure that it is secure, are all competencies that will be critical for cybersecurity professionals soon.
“Tapping into the skills of behavioural analysis is a skill that has become critical. Ensuring individuals have the behavioural analysis techniques to detect insider threats, anomalies in user behaviour and potential indicators of compromise will go hand in hand with cybersecurity professionals,” she added.
Referring to a statement made in August 2023 by then communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil that Malaysia needed about 27,000 professionals, while only about 15,000 were available, Ting said OpenAcademy’s training courses are customised to meet specific industry needs.
“Different industries have different potential cyberthreats, so it is ideal for training courses to have case studies and include scenarios that are catered to the industry,” she explained.
Ensuring hands-on experiences is key, Ting said, where simulations or exercises replicating real-world scenarios can allow participants to apply the knowledge within a controlled environment. “Participants need to be familiar with what role they play, as for some roles, it requires strategic understanding and planning when a cyberattack happens while some roles require actual technical experience and application.”
Ting lauded the government for allocating more than RM2.84 billion in Budget 2024 for advancing digital connectivity and enhancing cybersecurity measures, reflecting its commitment to this critical area.
“The cybersecurity budget in Malaysia has seen a continued increase, highlighting the prioritisation of security measures amidst the rising threat landscape.
“In the previous year, the budget also saw a significant increase to support initiatives like the National Scam Response Centre and CyberSecurity Malaysia, emphasising the importance of public awareness and cybercrime prevention,” she added.
Looking ahead, Ting said OpenAcademy is exploring the possibility of collaborating with potential partners and industry practitioners from other countries to create cybersecurity-related learning content and push training programmes .
“Working with individuals from countries that have a more advanced understanding of cybersecurity or have a different experience of cybersecurity can greatly benefit the Malaysian market in ensuring preventative measures to be taken before any cyberattack happens,” she added.
