“All too often, students graduate from college without being exposed to the fantastic career opportunities in the cybersecurity industry,” said Paul Levasseur, Vice President of Customer Enablement at Stellar Cyber.
In 2022, it was estimated that there is a need for 3.4 million security operations professionals in the world.
There are many job openings for security roles. But that doesn’t mean that those who acquire a cybersecurity degree or certificate will get the job right out of university.
The problem is that recently graduated students don’t have the right skills or a lot of practice in the field. Companies might feel reluctant to take them in and train themselves. This takes a lot of time and resources.
Ideally, universities should provide practical training for their students.
In reality, most universities don’t have enough staff, time, or funding to provide training for future security experts. After getting a degree or cybersecurity certificate, many students feel unprepared for real roles in this industry.
To help universities that don’t have the resources for cybersecurity training, Open XDR innovator Stellar Cyber launched the first-ever invite-only Stellar Cyber University Program.
Helping Underfunded Universities
Universities that want to introduce student training face a lot of obstacles. The main ones are that they lack staff, finances, or time to invest in training and provide students with real-life experiences.
For underfunded universities, Stellar Cyber provides instructor-led training, mentorship, and technology for free.
“Stellar Cyber is proud to offer this comprehensive, collaborative education program free of charge for those who are training our cyber warriors of the future. We are honored to do our part to help shrink the cybersecurity skills gap,” said Jim O’Hara, Chief Revenue Officer at Stellar Cyber. “It’s our objective to scale as broadly as possible globally, and to assist universities as they prepare their graduates to enter the cybersecurity workforce.”
However, universities do need to meet some criteria to be eligible for the program. For example, some of the requirements are:
- Offering either/or certificates and degrees in the cybersecurity field
- Consenting that Open XDR technology will be used in their education lab
- Providing SOC services to underserved communities
- Allowing Stellar Cyber to use the training for promotion and press activities
Training Students for a Career in Security Operations
The program gives the students a glimpse into the role of a cybersecurity professional. It helps them decide whether this career is suitable for them. And it’s an opportunity to hone skills that are relevant to the security industry right now.
At the end of the training, students get a better understanding of the types of roles that are available to them within the industry.
As Paul Levasseur said:
“We want to ensure that every student understands the exciting and enriching opportunity that exists in cybersecurity so that they can make more informed decisions about their future.”
The University Cybersecurity Partnership Program does more than train future security professionals — or even help underfunded universities.
Backed up with access to mentors and cutting-edge platforms, enrolled students protect the unserved communities.
Getting Hands-On Experience While Protecting Vulnerable Groups
“Attackers look for targets that cannot easily defend themselves,” Levasseur added. “Our hope is to ensure that these previously underserved communities get the protection they deserve.”
Such organizations otherwise would’ve had access to technology. Or security teams to help them improve their security posture.
For students, this means that they learn how to use the latest cybersecurity solutions while getting real-life and practical experience in the field.
At the end of the training, they can confidently use Stellar Cyber’s Open XDR platform to detect, investigate, and respond to versatile hacking exploits.
Open XDR (Extended Detection and Response) is a platform that combines the capabilities of a large stack of security tools. Some of them are NDR, UEBA, TIP, iIDS, and SIEM.
The platform correlates insights from these otherwise siloed solutions to alert the teams of high-risk threats. It uses machine learning and artificial intelligence. Then, it alerts companies of threats that are relevant to their infrastructure.
During the training, students have access to experts working in the industry for mentorship and coaching purposes.
Stellar Cyber also offers the Cyber Certification Program. Students in training can complete it to distinguish themselves from other job candidates.
Direct Job Opportunities From Stellar Cyber’s Network
The program (and possible certificate) look good on the resume. However, students who enroll in the program also get access to Stellar Cyber’s community of clients and partners.
Customers and partners that rely on the Open XDR technology need skilled people.
They seek someone who went through specialized training that taught them how to optimize the platform. That is, use it to identify and respond to critical threats before they escalate into incidents.
This training opens up many direct employment and internship opportunities. Many of those the student will be able to find and apply to via private groups.
Reducing The Skill Gaps in Cyber Security
Hiring and training is a major expense for companies — which is why they’re reluctant to hire fresh talent.
However, the right professionals are challenging to find because the field of cybersecurity is still relatively new. And businesses don’t have a large pool of talent to choose from — especially if they seek someone with specialized skills.
Working cybersecurity professionals and security vendors are acutely aware of the hectic pace of the industry. To survive and thrive in this field, they’re continually learning and developing better solutions to keep up with emerging threats.
In this scenario, universities are left behind. Many can’t change the curriculum as often or offer students practical hands-on experiences.
Therefore, collaborations between cybersecurity vendors and universities are the key to overcoming the skills gap. They bridge the gap between theory taught at educational institutions and practical knowledge relevant to security operations roles.
