According to the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the country is short of over 100,000 IT security professionals, projected to grow to nearly 200,000 by 2020. Furthermore, according to a report by the Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA), 160,000 of 265,000 information security personnel in Japan lack the skills needed for the job. Japan expects a sharp increase in cyberattacks for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and is aiming to train 50,000 cybersecurity personnel by this time.
Ni Cybersecurity will set up a training facility in Toranomon, Tokyo, that will address these challenges by accelerating the certification of new cybersecurity experts and helping organizations improve the skills of their existing staff, focusing on government and finance organizations.
The training facility will be powered by the Cyberbit Range, the most advanced and widely deployed cybersecurity training and simulation platform. It enables trainees to practice in real-life settings by accurately replicating their network setup, using their actual security tools and simulating their typical network traffic so trainees can receive the most effective and realistic training available. The Range provides a rich and up-to-date selection of simulated attack scenarios, including ransomware. It is the underlying platform for multiple training centers in North America, Asia and Europe.
Takeshi Mitsuishi, President and CEO of Ni Cybersecurity, said: “We selected the global leading cyber range platform and we’re taking it to the Japanese market by opening our new training center in Tokyo, launching in Toranomon. Based on the global success of the Cyberbit Range, our customers can expect exceptional quality training, faster certification, and overall more qualified and skilled cyber security personnel.”
As a subsidiary of Elbit Systems (NASDAQ: ESLT), Israel’s largest defense systems provider, and a leading provider of military simulation platforms, Cyberbit brings years of experience in training government and military cybersecurity staff. Cyberbit also provides products and solutions for protecting critical infrastructure ICS/SCADA networks, and for advanced endpoint detection and response (EDR). This made Cyberbit the ideal partner to help Ni Cybersecurity address the needs of the local industry.
Adi Dar, CEO of Cyberbit, said, “Japan is in a state of urgency, in which it needs to certify tens of thousands of new cybersecurity experts while improving the skills of existing ones, all within a very short timeframe. Enrolling in simulated training programs is the best choice for finance, government and other organizations in Japan to be prepared. I am confident that the initiative led by Ni Cybersecurity, powered by our Range platform, will contribute to Japan’s cyber readiness for the 2020 Olympic Games, and for years to follow.”
The training facility is expected to open in Q2 2017 and offer 1-week or 2-week hands-on courses as well as standalone training sessions in convenient evening hours and weekends. The facility will also offer industry-specific courses, and remote sessions in convenient locations.