- In partnership with Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada will engage$ 3.9M CAD
- To arrange local incident response and address digital threats from a single location.
At the APEC Leaders ‘ Summit last week, NYSE-listed BlackBerry Ltd, expressed its gratitude for the Government of Canada’s announcement to invest Canadian$ 3.9 million ( RM12.48 million ) in Malaysia. The money will go toward strengthening Southeast Asia’s capacity-building and threat intelligence initiatives.  ,
Canada’s support will be delivered by BlackBerry in partnership with the Toronto Metropolitan University’s ( TMU’s ) Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, with a goal to train 3, 500 cyber-defenders from Malaysia and other ASEAN members. Aligned with Canada’s Indo-Pacific approach, the program establishes Malaysia as a gateway of local security superiority in Southeast Asia, said BlackBerry in a speech.
The government of Canada will help with the creation, development, and delivery of a comprehensive security education, including programs for women, while expanding the offerings from the world-class Malaysia Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (CCoE ), which was co-founded in Cyberjaya and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
The goal is to promote the CCoE as a regional hub for learning and intelligence-sharing, enabling government and industry to greater stop, hinder, and organize responses to incidents that may influence operational resilience and national security, and to help more men and women take advantage of the region’s most in-demand cybersecurity roles.
Role-based learning and professional tracks as well as certifications in security and women in security management courses may be offered at the Malaysia CCoE. In line with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, which aims to promote and attach people, funding from the government will also help Malay and local participants gain bursaries and bursaries to take courses at the CCoE and obtain security certifications from respected business bodies.  ,
The Cyber Security Center of Excellence has the potential to become a global destination for emerging cyber threats, according to Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who inaugurated the facility on March 26 in Cyberjaya. To share knowledge, threat intelligence, and collaborate on developing methods and strategies to strengthen national and regional cyber-resilience, Malaysian and Canadian universities, research institutions, and skilled practitioners.
Justin Trudeau ( pic ), Prime Minister of Canada said, “Cybersecurity is a pillar of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy. With our government’s investment in Malaysia’s Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in collaboration with BlackBerry, Canada will share cyber-expertise, train the cyber workforce across ASEAN countries, increase public-private sector collaboration, and strengthen our collective capacity to counter, deter and respond to cyber threats”.
BlackBerry CEO, John Giamatteo, added,” BlackBerry is honored to partner with the Governments of Malaysia, Canada, and Toronto Metropolitan University’s Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst to establish the Malaysia Cybersecurity Center of Excellence. This top-notch facility also serves as a global hub for coordinating regional incident response and training and upskilling Malaysian and regional cyber workforces. No matter how advanced your cybersecurity arsenal is, countries need a well-trained cyber-workforce to support their front lines of defense in a growing digital economy.
The collaboration between Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst at Toronto Metropolitan University and BlackBerry will help to provide cybersecurity skills training in this crucial region for international security, which now more than ever needs technology security, according to Dr. Mohamed Lachemi, President and Vice Chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University.
The announcement comes one and a half months after BlackBerry and the Malaysian government made a long-term software and services agreement to advance regional digital workforces through training in advanced cybersecurity technology and training at a specialized facility.  ,
Visit this link for the CCoE’s current course information.