EDITORS DESK
The cybersecurity industry has been discussing the cybersecurity talent shortage for years. The Philippines and the rest of the world find it challenging to hire cybersecurity talents due to a skills shortage.
Yeo Siang Tiong, general manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky, said: “With the current pace of rapid digitalization, increasingly complex infrastructure, and the rise of more sophisticated online attacks, we can consider cybersecurity skills gaps as a ticking bomb that will impact individuals, enterprises, and the public sector if not addressed urgently.”
According to Cybersecurity Ventures, a leading researcher for the global cyber economy and a trusted source for cybersecurity facts, figures, and statistics, the number of vacant positions globally grew by 350 percent in the past eight years, reaching 3.5 million in 2021. Imagine this, that number of cybersecurity vacancies could fill 70 Philippine Arenas (100,000 seating capacity) or 121 Araneta Coliseums (16,500 seating capacity), or 2,380 LRT 2 trainset. That’s how severe the global shortage of cybersecurity talent is.
Here in the country, DICT Secretary Ivan Uy said that currently, there are three million job vacancies for cybersecurity experts around the globe. However, while the demand is high for Filipino IT experts, only a few attained the proper training and certification to be employed. So far, Uy said the Philippines has around 200 certified cybersecurity experts, compared to Singapore, which has 3,000.
When Ilan Fluss, Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines, asked me to visit Israel for Cyberweek last year, one thing I noticed was that while Israel agrees that there is indeed a cybersecurity talent shortage, the country was unfazed by the issue of this talent gap. In fact, Israel is considered globally as an excellent source for cybersecurity professionals.
I asked former Brig. Gen. Rami Efrati, Israel’s expert on cyber strategic methods and one of the founding members and former head of the Israel National Cyber Bureau, about it. Gen. Efrati shared Israel’s secret about where it gets the deep talent pool of cybersecurity professionals. “We have mandatory military service here in Israel, and when kids are introduced to cyber units, they love it. These kids can do many things which they could not do outside as a civilian,” he said. “Many of those who are chosen to be in the cyber units stay in the military. Others who go back to civilian life have become experts in cybersecurity and get jobs in cybersecurity companies,” he added.
According to Gen. Efrati, the cyber units also solved the issue of the country’s minority who do not want to serve in the military because of their religious beliefs. “Everyone can now do mandatory military service without violating their religious laws and beliefs,” said Gen. Efrati.
Gen. Efrati added that other countries like the Philippines could follow Israel’s lead and benefit from the advantages of mandatory military service. “Of course, there are other programs a government could create. However, military service and anything connected to the military is the only program that brings discipline and camaraderie to the table, which could be very useful for the country in the long run,” Gen. Efrati said.
I asked Ambassador Fluss about it. He said that the closest we have to Israel’s mandatory military service is the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps or ROTC, which could address the shortage of cybersecurity professionals.
Here are some advantages that the ROTC program could bring:
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The ROTC program could provide a larger pool of young men and women who could be trained in cybersecurity and put to work in various organizations.
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Cybersecurity is an essential component of national security. By training more professionals in this field, the Philippines could be better equipped to defend against cyber-attacks and other cyber threats.
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By utilizing ROTC, the government may save costs associated with recruiting and training new cybersecurity professionals.
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ROTC program can instill discipline, teamwork, and problem-solving skills, which are all necessary for success in the field of cybersecurity.
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The ROTC program can also provide young people with the opportunity for personal growth and development, which can benefit them in their future careers and personal lives. This was proven true in Israel, as shared by Gen. Efrati.
In Israel, military service is seen as a way to cultivate experts in areas such as cybersecurity. Israel's military intelligence unit, Unit 8200, is known for its cyber operations expertise. Many of its alumni have worked for cybersecurity companies or started their own cybersecurity firms.
Here in the country, the DICT could train ROTC cadets on cybersecurity and how to protect computer systems and networks from cyber threats. Following the example of Israel, the program could attract young men and women to pursue a career in cybersecurity.
(Art Samaniego Jr. is the head of Manila Bulletin IT Department and is the editor of Technews.)