The fourth “Graduation Day” of the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center (AKM), established by the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport, the Innovation and Digital Development Agency, and the Israeli Technion Institute of Technology, has taken place.
Delivering an opening speech at the graduation day, Farid Osmanov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Innovation and Digital Development Agency, spoke about the Center’s contributions to the country’s cybersecurity:
“The Digital Development Concept, approved by the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated January 16, 2025, aims to protect the personal data of the state, businesses, and citizens, increase the digital literacy of society, and train professional ICT specialists, along with digitalization. At the same time, the Strategy for Socio-Economic Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2022–2026, the Strategy for Information Security and Cybersecurity for 2023–2027 also envisage measures to increase the human resource potential in this area. The Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center continues to provide successful support to this process. Thus, in addition to training professional cybersecurity specialists and trainers, the Center strengthens interaction with the ecosystem, encourages the involvement of companies and institutions in the process, organizes hackathons and competitions that allow testing skills in a real environment, and also contributes to the sustainable development of the field by supporting the development of local cybersecurity products.
Later, representatives of partner institutions, as well as Technion, made speeches and emphasized the importance, goals and future prospects of the program. Shahmar Hajiyahyayev, Head of the Information Security Department of IRIA, made a presentation on the activities of the AKM, the new programs and projects developed, as well as the results of the work done and the main indicators.
A total of 160 people graduated from the Center in 2024. Last year, 60 students who graduated from the defense and attack teams successfully completed all stages from more than 2,000 applicants and earned a scholarship to study at the AKM. During the training, students received training in the relevant areas in the defense (Blue Team) and attack (Red Team) groups by international experts, gaining practical knowledge about the most advanced strategies, technologies and innovations in the field of cybersecurity. 40 people graduated from the “Purple team” trainings held for the first time this year. These trainings bring together the experience of the attack and defense teams. The program is specifically designed for professionals with more than 2 years of experience in the private and public sectors.
In the continuation of the event, a team of graduates presented their final projects in which they applied the knowledge they gained during their studies to real-world problems and topics. Then, 2 graduates who achieved high results were awarded. Finally, 100 graduating students were presented with graduation certificates by official guests invited to the event.
It should be noted that currently, the 5th wave training is ongoing at the Azerbaijan Cybersecurity Center. 60 people are participating in the training organized for attack and defense teams. They were selected from more than 2,400 candidates and gained the right to participate in the program.
