As people all over the world share information, communicate and trade with one another online, the internet’s growth continues to bring about massive social and economic change. Because New Zealand is so reliant on cyberspace, protecting our networks, systems, programmes, and data from attack or unauthorised access is critical and growing in importance.
It is recommended that educational institutions prioritise cybersecurity. Despite major challenges such as a lack of staffing as well as a lack of funding and resources, cyberattacks in education are no less frequent or severe. In fact, they appear to be increasing in prevalence year after year as breaches in schools and higher education are widely reported.
To address this, New Zealand’s broadcast, telecommunications, and ICT company is launching an academy to develop Kiwi talent and foster diversity in the cyber security industry. The launch of its scholarship-based “Cyber Academy,” a six-week intensive course with hands-on training for twelve students, was a New Zealand first.
According to the CEO of the company, students will work alongside experts who detect and respond to actual cyber security alerts and events daily, gaining key skills that will allow them to enter the workforce and make an impact from day one.
The state-owned company stated that cybercrime was at an all-time high, with regular large-scale attacks and an uncountable number of smaller attacks targeting businesses and individuals every day. Hence, cyber security has become one of the most in-demand professions in the world. However, there were three and a half million unfilled cyber security jobs globally, and many applicants were inadequately qualified.
The academy is said to help grow and expand New Zealand’s cyber security sector and nurture Kiwi talent. “Our company recognises and embraces its leadership role and responsibility in the development of cyber talent in New Zealand,” the CEO added. It is stated that the company hopes to attract a diverse range of applicants for the scholarships. Women, for example, account for less than one-quarter of the global cyber security workforce. This is especially important in the technology sector, where new ideas are constantly required to keep up with the industry’s pace. Those seeking to change careers, in addition to young people, are encouraged to apply for the programme.
OpenGov Asia reported that in response to the country’s recent cyber security issues, a New Zealand cloud computing platform provider has launched a new security service based on a blueprint developed in collaboration with the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) to assist government agencies to protect themselves. The service aims to ensure that agencies are always compliant with all security controls.
“Any organisation that participates in the digital world must take steps to ensure that they do so safely and securely for their employees and customers,” said the country manager for the public sector.
The platform’s New Zealand country manager for the public sector said that the New Zealand Information Security Manual (NZISM) Conformance Pack would assist government agencies and New Zealand organisations in assessing the compliance of their platform’s cloud environments against more than 150 NZ Information Security Manual controls. According to him, this enabled all customers to make compliance a “continuous activity.”
In addition, New Zealand’s cyber security strategy emphasises the country’s vision of being secure, resilient, and prosperous online. Individuals will be safe online because of this strategy, while New Zealand businesses will be able to thrive and function. This strategy also recognises that New Zealand’s ability to be secure and resilient online is critical to developing a more productive and competitive economy.
