CREST (cybersecurity services, accreditation and training), a global not-for-profit supporting the cybersecurity industry, has launched a new initiative to help ten emerging economies secure their digital ecosystems.
Funded by the UK’s Foreign Commonwealth Development Office, the CREST camp links national cybersecurity authorities with local private enterprises to provide mentoring, training and guidance, which will lead to recognised cybersecurity accreditation.
According to CREST, its role is to support the development of sustainable cyber ecosystems and ensure that companies across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia have access to the mentorship and the resources they need to professionalise and grow.
The organisation added in a press statement that its CREST camp initiative reflected “a significant shift in development funding priorities” as it recognised that supporting businesses in the private sector was critical given its role in the broader security landscape.
“Governments increasingly rely on private sector expertise to address resource shortfalls, while the rest of society and the economy depend on high-quality private sector cybersecurity service providers to function securely,” it said in a statement.
The funding will allow CREST to pilot the programme in collaboration with national cybersecurity authorities from Armenia, Bahrain, Georgia, Ghana, Kenya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Thailand, Oman and the Philippines from September 2024 to March 2025.
Further investment likely
CREST said that further investments were likely to follow “as development agencies, multi-lateral banks, and philanthropists recognise the role that private cyber companies play in safeguarding not only government infrastructure but also critical national infrastructure (CNI) and broader societal needs.”
Current and future cohorts of CREST Camp will involve national cybersecurity authorities and a select group of cybersecurity service providers who will receive intensive mentoring from one of CREST’s 380+ established member companies.
Additionally, CREST camp claims it will help build affordable, high-quality training provision by supporting up to eight training providers with materials and train-the-trainer support.
CREST CEO Nick Benson said the camp and the organisation’s work in global capacity building was “essential” for companies that need more support and guidance.
“Thank you to the FCDO for supporting CREST CAMP and recognising the importance of the private sector in developing a country’s cyber resilience and better securing Critical National Infrastructure,” he said.
“In today’s increasingly interconnected global market we must look beyond our own national borders to do the hard work that makes us all safer from cyber threats,” he added.
