Microsoft Cybersecurity Skilling, online training and certifications to train cybersecurity professionals

Microsoft Italiaannounced a comprehensive plan of initiatives dedicated to Cybersecurity – the Cybersecurity Skilling program – the first in a series of IT security initiatives that, in a single month, will offer 30 free online and in-person courses across the country. The training courses are aimed at companies and Microsoft partners, established professionals, and students to reduce the skills mismatch in cybersecurity and will involve over 1000 people in this first phase.

In recent years, cyber threats worldwide have grown at an alarming rate: in 2021, the Microsoft Security team blocked over 9.6 billion malware threats and more than 35.7 billion phishing and other malicious emails. Microsoft Security actively monitors more than 35 ransomware families and 250 unique actors (nations, ransomware, and criminal activities), and Microsoft technology blocks over 900 brute-force attacks for password theft every second. These numbers highlight the need for specialized professionals: while a CyberSecurity SpecialistCybersecurity Specialistis among the 25 most in-demand professions in Italy (source: LinkedIn report Growing Jobs 2022), only 40% of workers have received specific cybersecurity training (Censis Report – DeepCyber, April 2022).

In this scenario, starting this month, Microsoft Italia, along with the ecosystem of local partners who are members of this new alliance, including Fondazione Mondo Digitale and Pipeline, offers a wide range of initiatives and training courses with the goal of supporting digital development and bridging the cybersecurity skill gap.

For companies, Microsoft provides dedicated training courses aimed at obtaining globally recognized certifications to bridge knowledge gaps and enhance understanding of Microsoft solutions. For students, together with Fondazione Mondo Digitale, ad-hoc training has been developed to promote general knowledge of cloud computing, security, and compliance concepts. For the upskilling of professionals, together with Pipeline, advanced courses have been developed to disseminate the necessary skills for implementing security controls and identity management solutions based on Microsoft Azure. Complementing the training offerings are initiatives on the Cloud Champion platform dedicated to the Microsoft partner ecosystem.