ITSEC Asia Launches ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy, Preparing Indonesia’s Talent to Secure AI Era

PT ITSEC Asia Tbk (ITSEC Asia) (IDX: CYBR), a cybersecurity company with 16 years of experience, officially launched ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy at ITSEC Asia’s headquarters in Jakarta. The Academy is designed to strengthen Indonesia’s cybersecurity and AI talent through practice-based learning, real-world experience and technology tailored to the needs of professionals and organisations.

The launch was attended by senior representatives from the Indonesian Government and national institutions, including Nezar Patria, Vice Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs; Edwin Hidayat, Director General of Digital Ecosystem at the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs; Stella Christie, Vice Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology; Tiar Nabilla Karbala, Special Staff to the President of the Republic of Indonesia for MSMEs and Digital Technology; and Air Vice Marshal I Ketut S. Wahyu Wijaya, M.A., Commander of the Indonesian Air Force Cyber Unit, representing Air Chief Marshal M. Tonny Harjono, Chief of Staff of the Indonesian Air Force. The event also brought together industry leaders, technology professionals, partners and members of the media.

The acceleration of digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) adoption is increasing demand for talent capable of developing and securing technology. Organisations need professionals who can address cyber threats, test system resilience, build AI-based solutions and understand the security and governance considerations that come with them.

This makes the development of cybersecurity and AI talent an important part of Indonesia’s readiness for the digital economy. The Indonesian Government continues to promote the development of digital and AI talent to strengthen the country’s ability to develop and harness technology.

“Indonesia will need around 9 million digital talents by 2030, while today we have only around 3 million. This gap cannot be addressed by the government alone. Strong collaboration between government, industry and educational institutions is needed to prepare the talent Indonesia needs as the digital economy continues to grow. Initiatives such as ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy can contribute to this effort by strengthening talent readiness in cybersecurity and AI,” said Nezar Patria, Vice Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.

Bringing 16 Years of Cybersecurity Experience into Talent Development

For 16 years, ITSEC Asia has built experience helping organisations address a wide range of cybersecurity challenges. Through ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy, this experience is translated into learning programmes designed to help professionals develop capabilities relevant to the workplace.

“For 16 years, ITSEC Asia has been at the forefront of cybersecurity. Now we are bringing that experience into talent development to help shape the next generation who will safeguard Indonesia’s digital future,” said Patrick Dannacher, President Director of ITSEC Asia.

“Cybersecurity and AI challenges continue to evolve. We therefore need more professionals who can understand technology in practical terms, secure it and use it responsibly. ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy is part of our commitment to contributing to the development of Indonesia’s digital capabilities.”

Based on the philosophy “We don't just train defenders. We create them.”, the Academy applies a practitioner-led approach that places practical experience at the centre of the learning process. Participants can follow a competency development journey covering assessment, learning, practice and evaluation.

“Indonesia has a major strength in the form of data. But data only becomes a strategic strength when we have the capability to protect it and use it effectively. AI can help us address challenges that matter to Indonesia, but that requires talent that understands both the technology and the data behind it,” said Stella Christie, Vice Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia.

Defend & Attack. Build & Govern.

ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy has two core focus areas designed to address the competency requirements of the digital era.

Cybersecurity Academy: Defend & Attack develops the ability to understand, test, defend against and respond to cyber threats. The approach gives participants both defensive and offensive perspectives, enabling them to understand how systems are protected while also learning how vulnerabilities can be identified and tested.

AI Academy: Build & Govern focuses on the ability to build, deploy and manage AI technology while taking security and governance into consideration. The approach responds to the growing use of AI in business processes and decision-making.

Yulius C. Rusli, President Director of ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy, said the Academy’s approach was designed around the real needs faced by professionals in the field.

“We built the Academy around real needs in the field. Participants don't just learn cybersecurity and AI concepts. They also have the opportunity to test their capabilities through assessment, adaptive learning and simulations designed to resemble the conditions they face in their work.”

“Technology ecosystems such as AKSI, CAKRA, SAKTI, PERISAI and JAGA allow us to build a more measurable learning journey, from identifying competencies to testing capabilities in realistic scenarios.”

A Technology Ecosystem from Assessment to Simulation

To support this learning journey, ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy provides a technology ecosystem covering assessment, learning, competency development, simulation and cyber awareness.

AKSI (Asesmen Kompetensi Sistematis dan Integratif) is used to identify candidate competencies, including technical capabilities, aptitude and soft skills. CAKRA (Capaian Akademik Kompetensi Siber Resiliensi Akselerasi) supports learning and competency management within a single learning environment.

For AI-based learning, SAKTI (Sistem AI untuk Kompetensi, Teknologi, dan Inovasi) provides adaptive learning pathways for AI, cybersecurity, intelligence, data and programming, including personalised evaluation as well as proctoring and anti-cheating features.

Meanwhile, PERISAI (Platform Emulasi Realistik untuk Intelijen Siber dan Ancaman Infrastruktur) provides an AI-powered cyber range to simulate cybersecurity, AI security and intelligence scenarios. JAGA (Jaringan Awareness dan Governance untuk Aset Nasional) supports organisational cyber awareness through AI-powered phishing simulations, interactive training and performance analytics.

Together, this ecosystem connects assessment, learning, practice, simulation and evaluation within a single competency development journey.

Building Indonesia’s Talent Pipeline

The launch of ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy forms part of ITSEC Asia’s broader contribution to Indonesia’s digital ecosystem. Developing cybersecurity and AI talent requires collaboration between industry, government, educational institutions and technology communities so that professional capabilities can keep pace with technological developments and workforce needs.

By bringing 16 years of cybersecurity experience into education and competency development, ITSEC Asia aims to strengthen the talent pipeline Indonesia needs to address cyber threats while using AI safely and responsibly.

ITSEC CyberTalent: Supporting Indonesia’s Young Talent

This commitment is also reflected through ITSEC CyberTalent, an initiative supporting young Indonesians with potential in cybersecurity through access to learning, mentorship and industry experience.

As part of the launch of ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy, ITSEC Asia provided support to Ibrahim Al Abrar, a student from Boyolali, Central Java, who received a Letter of Appreciation from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) after identifying and reporting a security vulnerability in one of NASA’s public systems through its Vulnerability Disclosure Policy (VDP) programme.

The support includes equipment to support his cybersecurity studies, private training sessions with ITSEC Asia cybersecurity experts and an opportunity to undertake an internship programme at ITSEC Asia once the applicable requirements are met.

“Over the past 16 years, we have seen that great talent can come from anywhere. The biggest challenge is often not ability, but access to learning, mentorship and opportunity. Through ITSEC CyberTalent, we want to help young Indonesian talent continue to develop so they can contribute to Indonesia’s digital security in the future,” said Patrick Dannacher.

Through ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy and ITSEC CyberTalent, ITSEC Asia is strengthening its commitment to developing Indonesia’s cybersecurity and AI talent through both structured education and direct support for individuals demonstrating exceptional potential in these fields.

ITSEC Cyber & AI Academy will continue to develop learning programmes, expand collaboration with institutions and introduce further talent development initiatives to support Indonesia’s growing cybersecurity and AI workforce needs.