Dubai cybersecurity hub on hiring binge

dubai — In its bid to make the UAE city the “safest electronic city in the world,” the Dubai Electronic Security Centre (DESC) is looking to expand its Emirati-only workforce by 50 per cent this year.

The centre, which has a budget of millions of dollars, monitors and researches potential electronic incidents that may affect governmental institutes. To do that, the relatively new center, established in 2014, is looking to hire 30 more people, totalling to about 90 people in its workforce.

“We want to look for UAE nationals because we believe in the national resource,” said Amer Sharaf, director of compliance support and alliances at DESC, in an interview. Foreigners will only work in a consultant capacity, he added. “It’s 100 per cent UAE nationals. We are proud of that and want to keep it like that.”

As cybersecurity concerns grow in the region, Dubai has been on high alert. DESC has been focusing on ensuring the security of transport and energy sectors, especially following the “Shamoon 2” virus that targeted government agencies and companies in Saudi Arabia. Dubai has had no recorded incidents of the virus, Sharaf said. Some Dubai government institutes faced email phishing attempts, and other small incidents in the last six months, Sharaf said, declining to elaborate further.

DESC is only just beginning to seek publicity, via sponsoring conferences and participating in round tables and career fairs. They are looking to hire individuals with a cybersecurity and forensics background, Sharaf explained. Women account for 35 per cent of its workforce. Finding the appropriate national workforce may prove difficult.

“We feel we can do more,” Sharaf said. “There is kind of a shortage. Graduates are coming, but they don’t have hands-on experience,” he said, explaining that they are working alongside universities and Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority to put together a curriculum to familiarise potential employees with cybersecurity concepts.

DESC has been researching technologies that currently lack regulation such as cloud computing, autonomous vehicles, and block-chain.