EY GLOBAL Delivery Services (EY GDS) will be hiring more talent as it expands its cybersecurity operations in Cebu.
This talent expansion plan is in response to the growing need for augmenting its pool of cybersecurity personnel, given the increasing occurrence of data breaches recently in the Philippines involving major national institutions.
“Cebu is an excellent tech hub in the Philippines and is key to the growth strategy of EY GDS in the cybersecurity domain. We are truly excited to grow our presence in Cebu as well as in Manila and build upon the cyber skills and talents, further strengthening our services to support EY clients around the world,” said Maria Elizabeth de Guzman, cybersecurity leader at EY GDS Philippines.
Last year, massive data breach leaked records from government agencies such as the Philippine Health Insurance Corp., the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Department of Science and Technology, the National Bureau of Investigation, the Philippine National Police and the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Hackers also disabled the website of the Congress.
Cyber incidents
A recent industry study by EY teams revealed that organizations are facing an average of 44 significant cyber incidents each year. More alarmingly, the detection and response times to such threats are slow, with three-quarters of organizations taking an average of six months or longer to detect and respond to an incident.
“New and sophisticated adversaries are weaponizing the latest technology to increase the speed and scale of their attacks. And the impact — financial, regulatory and reputational — keeps mounting,” the company said.
De Guzman stressed that cybersecurity risks today are heightened due to the distributed and interconnected nature of information, communication, and operational technology. This is further exacerbated by a globally distributed supply chain ecosystem, the widespread adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) and industrial IoT devices, and the increasing reliance on generative artificial intelligence.
“Cyberthreats have now become an issue that impacts everyone, everywhere — and cybersecurity should become a priority both at the workplace and in our daily lives. At EY GDS, we have a robust development plan for cyber professionals, including continuous upskilling and reskilling, to offer leading-class services to EY clients,” she said.
Cebu expansion
EY GDS is also ramping up hiring for its Manila center after it launched its advanced, multi-million facility in 2019.
EY GDS entered Cebu last year. It opened its Cebu Center at the second level of Lexmark 3 in Cebu Business Park on Oct. 11, 2023.
Company officials said the expansion not only signifies the firm’s confidence in the local workforce and the conducive business environment but also promises to inject a considerable boost into Cebu’s economic landscape.
“We expect Cebu to be the next phase of growth in our Philippine market,” said Mukul Pachisia, EY GDS global operations leader, during the Cebu center opening.
