Temasek Poly, IBM establish IT security centre
ConvergenceAsia staff
17/01/2008

Temasek Polytechnic (TP) and IBM have announced the establishment of the TP-IBM IT Security Centre to meet the industry’s growing demand for IT security professionals to combat IT threats of the future.

With a total investment of S$200,000 the new centre is based on the IBM Information Security Framework. The Framework includes IBM’s portfolio of complete security solutions to provide integrated training on enterprise security.

The centre will provide students from the Temasek Informatics and IT School with practical experience on the industry’s leading-edge security and privacy solutions. In addition, students will get opportunities to work with IBM’s IT security experts on client projects, leading to a ready pool of IT security-trained talent for Singapore and the region.

The objective of the training is to equip students with a solid foundation in various aspects of security, including physical, personnel, application, identity and access management, threat mitigation, transaction and data integrity, privacy and governance. The alliance is also set to identify best practice processes and develop new security solutions.

In collaboration with TP, IBM will provide advice and assistance on the set up of its new centre. IBM will also provide consultation and industry insights to help TP develop the curriculum, course synopsis, materials and case studies relevant for students of the Diploma in Cyber and Digital Security at the Temasek Informatics and IT School.

Nearly 400 staff and students will be trained over the next five years by integrating IT security management programmes into the curriculum of their Diploma in Cyber and Digital Security. TP has about 120 students currently enrolled in its three-year Cyber and Digital Security course. The pioneer batch of students with the acquired IT Security skills is due to graduate in March 2009.

Boo Kheng Hua, Principal and CEO of Temasek Polytechnic, said the TP-IBM collaboration extends beyond security products and technologies to include the training of students and staff in project management, leadership methodology and processes, industry standards, and business modelling.

“This collaboration will help us to nurture IT security professionals who safeguard the information systems and applications of organisations and add value to them. It will help us realise Singapore’s vision of a connected society where IT enhances the quality of our lives,” Boo added.

TP will also expose its students to real world, applied learning experiences through an internship program with IBM that is supported by Industry Partners including the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore. Students from TP will be attached to IBM for a minimum period of three months covering areas such as IT Security Audits and Controls, Incident Handling and Response, Threat Monitoring and Patch Management, Vulnerability Assessment and Handling, Security Risk Assessment and Log Review and Developing Security Standards and Guidelines.

The pilot internship programme, which started in October last year, will enable students to integrate all that they have learnt and put it into practice, giving them a head-start as they gain experience as security professionals.

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