High quality Cyber security education will now be available to Filipinos with the recent launch of the first globally-accredited cyber school in Manila Wednesday.
The school, CybersCool Defcon will offer programs based on modules developed by Tel Aviv-based ThriveDX Saas, a company founded by Roy Zur, who previously spearheaded the design and training of elite Israeli Cyber and Intelligence Units.
“This is the first globally-accredited cyber school in the Philippines and the idea is really to develop the cyber skills of Filipinos. And this is not only about security; it is also related to anything today because everything at the end of the day is related to cybersecurity,” CybersCool Defcon founder Tatoo Amsili told reporters during the launch.
Amsili said they are also in talks with different agencies to discuss possible training programs for government personnel. He suggested that government agencies must not solely rely on third-party service providers.
“Any department actually goes online today and they really need to have their own people. They must not be fully dependent on third parties for software and hardware,” he said.
CybersCool Defcon has six training programs, including the “Zero to Hero” Cybersecurity Bootcamp, which will open in August 2022.
Brig. Gen. Rami Efrati, founding member and former head of the Israel National Cyber Bureau-Civilian Sector, said its establishment alone conveys a message that “Israel is ready to share its knowledge in cybersecurity”.
“Cyber is not only cyber attacks, I speak also about cyber terrorism, fostered people who try terrorize others and even the government. We need to stop them immediately,” he said.
Israel’s Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss, meanwhile, sees the school’s launch as a “strong foundation” for further cybersecurity collaboration between the Philippines and Israel.
“This sector is very vibrant in Israel and very proactive so it’s really bringing the sector to the Philippines and trying to localize it. That’s exactly the vision of the embassy and I see this as a model,” he said.
CybersCool Defcon was founded by Edison Abella and Amsili, with retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno as Board chairman.