KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 14 September 2021 - Fortinet, a global leader in broad, integrated, and automated cybersecurity solutions, today announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Multimedia University (MMU), one of Malaysia’s top private technology universities, to provide its IT students with industry-recognised cybersecurity training and certifications. It will provide them with in-demand cybersecurity skills to prepare them to become the next generation that fortifies the nation's digital resilience.
With this agreement, MMU becomes the latest organisation to join the NSE Training Institute’s Security Academy Program which works with academic institutions around the world to bridge the gap between learning and careers in cybersecurity.
As an Authorized Security Academy, MMU will be able to offer Fortinet’s award-winning Network Security Expert (NSE) training and certification courses at the Faculty of Information Science and Technology (FIST) and Faculty of Computing and Informatics (FCI). Around 400 students are expected to benefit from the program in the first academic year of the partnership. Students will enter the program at NSE Level 4 with opportunities to explore additional training pathways as the program grows over time.
Certified instructors will conduct the training and certification program which is a combination of self-paced and instructor-led courses through classroom and laboratory sessions, including both practical and experiential exercises. The robust curriculum will produce highly-qualified graduates equipped with cybersecurity skills to help protect networks from global cyber threats and strengthen the national digital security landscape.
According to Alex Loh, Country Manager, Fortinet Malaysia, “As cybersecurity threats are increasingly sophisticated, there is an urgent need for action; to close the skills gap by training an elite security workforce that is qualified to protect our digital networks from these threats. Our partnership with MMU reiterates our commitment to this aim as we train IT students and help prepare them for a career in technology."
Malaysia and its digital economy
As Malaysia's digital transformation agenda, published in its Digital Economy Blueprint (MyDigital), accelerates with the pandemic-induced surge in e-commerce, digital banking, healthcare, online education, and cloud, the need to protect organisational and personal data becomes even more mission critical. Malaysia's public sector regulators are very cognisant of the evolving threats and vulnerabilities, especially their impact on the economy and society, as a result of a trust deficit from significant breaches.
Under MyDigital, the nation is taking necessary steps to build a reliable digital infrastructure, facilitate innovation, and create an ecosystem that delivers an inclusive, responsible, and sustainable socioeconomic development. It is all predicated on a robust, proactive, and resilient security infrastructure that requires trained and widely available cybersecurity talent.
"For Malaysia to realise the vision for our digital future, next generation security and technology training is the need of the hour. This collaboration with Fortinet not only introduces next-level cyber security training, but also reinforces our commitment to the future of Malaysia's digital resilience. This partnership with Fortinet is an investment in the collective future of all Malaysians," said Professor Dato’ Dr. Mazliham Mohd Su’ud, President of MMU.
