Cebu is Positioning Itself as a Launchpad for AI-Fluent Cyber Defenders

EY Global Delivery Services (GDS) is positioning Cebu to play a larger role in the future of cybersecurity by developing Filipino professionals who can build, engineer and improve AI-powered cyber defenses for organizations around the world.

The recently launched EY GDS Cybersecurity Center in Cebu will focus on specialized capabilities such as threat intelligence, cybersecurity engineering, cybersecurity architecture and AI-driven cyber analytics. These are areas where advanced skills remain limited in the Philippine talent landscape, which continues to be more heavily represented by analysis-focused roles.

For Maez De Guzman, EY GDS Philippines Cybersecurity Leader and EY Cybersecurity Managed Services Emerging Markets Leader, the center’s larger significance lies in helping the country progress from using technology to creating and improving it.

“We want more Filipino professionals to see themselves not only as consumers of technology, but as the people building it, engineering it, operating it and making it better,” said De Guzman. “Cybersecurity is one field where the Philippines can develop enduring expertise and move further up the technology value chain.”

The center supports global cyber operations through advanced analytics, automation and AI-led capabilities. It is part of the EY GDS global delivery network and connects Cebu-based teams to different technologies, industries and threat environments worldwide.

Central to this ambition is the transition from AI literacy to AI fluency. While literacy involves understanding the technology, De Guzman described fluency as the ability to think, communicate and work with AI naturally. For cybersecurity professionals, that means applying AI to areas such as threat detection, analytics, automation and engineering while retaining human judgment and oversight.

“Cybersecurity is not a game of headcount. It is a game of specialization, critical thinking and continuously learning as technology changes,” De Guzman said. “Our goal is for a young professional in Cebu to solve a sophisticated global cybersecurity problem using AI and advanced analytics, and to know that their expertise has global relevance.”

EY GDS is also working to strengthen the pipeline of future professionals through its partnership with the Cebu Institute of Technology. Its framework-based cybersecurity curriculum emphasizes laboratory simulations and real-world scenarios, helping bridge the gap between classroom instruction and the demands of the profession.

Cebu’s growing technology talent pipeline, engineering mindset, delivery culture and maturing ecosystem provide a foundation for the center’s specialized work. Beyond adding jobs, EY GDS intends to help create higher-value careers and demonstrate that globally relevant cybersecurity expertise can be developed from the Philippines.