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IBM partners with more than 200 global universities

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Harmeet
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ARMONK, USA: IBM announced that it is adding 11 additional schools to its more than 200 partnerships with universities around the globe, focusing on collaborating to bring cyber security skills into the classroom.

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According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics employment in the cyber security field is expected to grow rapidly, increasing 22 percent by 2020. As organizations transmit and store more sensitive information electronically, the need for employees with experience in cyber security will be imperative in order to protect data in the cloud, mobile devices and traditional computing.

As part of IBM's Academic Initiative, the company is launching new curriculum and programs focusing on cyber security with Fordham University, Georgia Institute of Technology, San Jose State University, Southern Methodist University, Technische Universitat Darmstadt in Germany, Temasek Polytechnic in Singapore, Universidad Cenfotec in Costa Rica, Universiti Kebangsaan in Malaysia, The University of South Carolina, University of Texas at Dallas, and Wroclaw University of Economics in Poland.

"As our planet becomes more interconnected though new technology like cloud computing and the proliferation of mobile devices, interdisciplinary education for cyber security is essential," said Dr. Mark Harris, Assistant Professor, Integrated Information Technology Program, The University of South Carolina. "This is a challenge that IBM is proactively addressing, largely by partnering with academic programs and encouraging higher levels of skill development to address these new world challenges."

The number of cyber security academic programs around the world has increased significantly over the past decade. One reason for this growth is the very strong demand from industry and government for trained professionals as both of these market segments are facing a significant skills gap. In fact, over half of industry respondents in a recent survey by Frost & Sullivan said that they had too few information security workers on staff. A UK government report said that it may take 20 years to address the current cyber security skills gaps.

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