Credit: Dreamstime
Check Point Software Technologies has expanded its Singapore office to house more than 100 staff in Singapore and another 750 employees across 16 countries in Asia Pacific.
Apart from accommodating a growing team, the expanded Asia Pacific headquarters will see more focus on training for staff enrolled in the vendor’s Young Professionals Program.
According to Check Point and a 2021 (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, cyber attacks are on the rise and Singapore faces a cyber security workforce gap of 16,000, while globally there is a remaining gap of 1.4 million.
In response, the new office has been designed with dedicated spaces for hosting in-person, face-to-face training, and practical hands-on sessions to prepare CISOs, cyber security administrators and employees to “outsmart and prevent” cyber crime.
“When Check Point was founded in 1993 in Tel Aviv, Israel, the founders’ mission was to make the world a safer and more secure place," said Dr Sharat Sinha, president of Asia Pacific and Japan at Check Point.
"Over the years, the company assembled a global team of driven, creative and innovative people who redefined the cyber security landscape with cutting-edge technologies to an ever growing global customer base, making connectivity and data secure, reliable, and available everywhere."
Check Point’s investments into nurturing cyber security talent include hiring and training more than 20 participants of the Young Professionals Program in Singapore. The initiative is open to working adults with less than five years of work experience who are interested in pursuing a career in cyber security, with a mentor assigned to each participant as part of the training.
“We need to continuously stay ahead of emerging threats and to achieve that, our technology is constantly evolving, incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into our next generation of cyber security solution,” added Dr Sinha.
“While technological innovations are important, we recognised the importance of good and competent people helming and running the operations. Therefore, we invest heavily in providing partners, customers and employees with cyber security skills and security awareness training to stay secure at work and everywhere.”
Meanwhile, as part of Check Point’s SecureAcademy education program, the vendor has partnered with Singapore Polytechnic to provide students with hands-on experience in recognising and resolving IT security threats, and acquire “the most updated, real-world cyber security skills”.
Check Point elaborates that course graduates will earn a “globally recognised” cyber security certification that increases employability as they “gain skills and knowledge immediately applicable” for kick-starting their careers.
Other public resources around training programs and phishing simulations are also available on Check Point’s website that cater to a variety of skillsets and job functions.
