Global delivery firm expands Cebu operations

CEBU, Philippines — EY Global Delivery Services (EY GDS) has announced that it will be hiring more talent as it expands its cybersecurity operations in Cebu.

This announcement follows the successful launch of its advanced, multi-million facility in Manila in September 2019, and the opening of its site in Cebu in 2023.

“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 our cyber skills and talents, further strengthening our services to support EY clients around the world,” said Maria Elizabeth “Maez” de Guzman, EY GDS Philippines Cybersecurity Leader.

According to De Guzman, EY GDS’ talent expansion plans are 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.

This has greatly magnified the importance of cybersecurity, extending its relevance beyond highly regulated industries and large enterprises to practically all sectors.

A recent industry study conducted by EY teams stated 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.

“Today, cybersecurity risks are amplified by the distributed and interconnected nature of information, communication, and operational technology. This is compounded by a globally distributed supply chain ecosystem, the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) and industrial IoT devices, and the growing utilization of generative AI. Cyberthreats have now become an issue that impact 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,” De Guzman added.

Along with Cebu office, EY GDS is ramping up hiring for its Manila center as well, De Guzman noted.