PSD staff armed with anti-cyber crime tools through Cisco academy

AMMAN — The Public Security Department (PSD) has saved large amounts of money and its staff has obtained crucial skills in combating cyber crimes, thanks to its Cisco Networking Academy.

Founded by Cisco Systems in 2009, the academy provides training on IT essentials, Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Routing and Switching, and CCNA Security, Brig. Gen. Ziad Al Zoubi, director of Telecommunications and Information Technology at the PSD, told The Jordan Times in an interview last week.

“The academy provided staff at different departments affiliated with the PSD with specialised technical training that honed their skills in combating cyber crimes and updated them on the latest trends and technologies in this field,” Zoubi said.

“We would not have reached this level of professionalism in dealing with rising cyber threats without the presence of this academy,” he added.

“The academy also saved us a lot of money, as prior to its establishment PSD staff took such courses at private sector companies. Some of them were funded by the PSD’s budget and others took courses at their own expense.”

Cisco Networking Academy is a global education programme that teaches trainees how to design, build, troubleshoot and secure computer networks for increased access to career and economic opportunities in communities around the world. 

Under the academy’s training programme, Cisco partners with educational institutions, government administrations and community-based organisations to provide the courses. 

The success of the academy and the impact of its courses prompted other security entities in the Kingdom to send their staff for training there, according to Zoubi.

“Personnel from the Gendarmerie Department, the Civil Defence Department, the Jordan Customs Department and other public entities were trained at the academy… This is a testimony to our success and the quality of the training we provide.”

Since its creation, the academy has trained some 2,231 people from various security and public agencies in the country, according to the PSD official. Some 261 others are expected to be trained at the academy in 2014.

Mohamed Jinini, networking academy area manager for Levant countries at Cisco Systems, said the academy has about 30 specialised instructors, the largest number at a Cisco networking academy in Jordan, where there are 20 academies.

Jinini said Cisco System is keen to continue cooperation with the PSD in this field.

Building on its success, the PSD plans to sign a memorandum of understanding with the ICT Ministry under which it will train staff of public agencies and departments at the academy, Zoubi added.

The academy plans to offer more advanced courses that will further enhance efforts to combat cyber threats, including the Cisco Certified Network Professional and the Cisco Certified Internet Work Expert, he said.

There is a plan to relocate the academy, which is currently at the PSD headquarters in Abdali, to another building in Tabarbour, according to Zoubi.

The academy also provides training to schools in cooperation with the Jordan Education Initiative, and also to orphans and women detainees at correctional centres.

Zoubi said military attachés at several diplomatic missions in Amman have also shown interest in the courses provided by the academy.