Collaborations between universities and local communities mostly involve cleaning or rebuilding the area in one way or another.
Boise State University had a different idea.
A year ago, they introduced an initiative known as the Cyberdome program.
It solves two major problems for students and the local community.
1. After they get their degree, students lack real-life experience.
The majority of their knowledge is theoretical. This makes it difficult for them to find a job and gain the skills they need to join the workforce.
2. Idaho communities lack the funds to protect their systems against hacking.
Both local schools and districts that offer critical infrastructure are up against many cyber attacks. Without security, they're vulnerable.
A year has passed since the start of the Cyberdome program in Idaho.
Kickstarting the Cyberdome Program
A year ago, Boise State University launched the Cyberdome Program. The goal of the program was to expand the local cyber workforce while helping local organizations detect cyber attacks.
That is, they prepare students for cybersecurity roles after completing their degrees while also helping the community by giving them enterprise-level security free of charge.
"The Cyberdome has provided resources and information we have not been able to afford ourselves being a small college, " said Marty Gang, Chief Technology Officer for Lewis-Clark State College, a Cyberdome client. "We have not been able to access a lot of expensive equipment and software, and Cyberdome has provided access to a large number of good resources. Being provided insight into activities on our network that we didn't have visibility into before has been very useful."
One tool that was part of this program, known as Open XDR, has been a major help to enrolled students.
The Key Tool: Stellar Cyber's Open XDR
Under the Cyberdome program, Stellar Cyber provides its Open XDR platform to the Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity. Its AI and machine learning-based platform, Open XDR, helped students gain important insights about security.
Open XDR helps the new generation of cyber experts to work smarter. Its intuitive interface provides a perfect fit for cybersecurity students who are still building their skills.
From a single easy-to-use interface, students can discern important alerts on their dashboard and use these insights to protect their local community from hackers.
The sophisticated data analysis that Open XDR provides helped students detect anomalies as well as made them more productive. It focuses their attention on areas that count the most.
The students who were part of the Cyberdome program are now certified on using the Stellar Cyber platform.
"Through our relationship with Stellar Cyber, our team provides feedback about product enhancements, providing our students with first-hand knowledge of the technology provider market. Stellar Cyber enables our students like no other technology partner," said Edward Vasko, director of Boise State's Institute for Pervasive Cybersecurity. "Our students take Stellar Cyber's training and emerge fully certified on the platform. That's something we don't have with any other security solution, but it's critical - not only for us but for any MSSP - because it enables employees to be much more productive security analysts."
Analyzing Oveer 53,000 Potential Cyber Attacks
Between January and July, students who participated in this program kept track of over 5,000 Idaho assets. They investigated more than 53,000 possible cyber exploits and alerted the local community to 350 potentially severe hacking attacks.
Although organizations understand why protecting their assets is important, many are still vulnerable because they lack adequate security experts and the funds to secure their infrastructure.
After seeing the results in Idaho, other high institutions are now interested in joining this program.
"We've had a phenomenal year," said Vasko. "We've partnered with other colleges in our state, and there are now dozens of Idaho students certified in using the Stellar Cyber platform. On the customer side of the program, we have entered into a pilot program with the Idaho Digital Learning Association's Rural Education team, and we're piloting efforts with them to eventually monitor as many as two dozen school districts, helping them improve their cybersecurity."
Closing the Skill Gap in Cybersecurity
Normally, graduates lack the experience to back up their extensive knowledge of cybersecurity. Opportunities such as this initiative make them ready to join the workforce as skilled professionals.
They help them gain the skills that they will use to work for organizations after they complete their degree.
The skill gap is a major problem for companies that are hiring security experts for teams nowadays. Since cybersecurity is a relatively new field, there are not many cybersecurity professionals to go around.
Programs such as Cyberdome are integral in helping young talent get the right experience, the right skills, and the right competencies - the kinds that companies seek.
"There's a huge shortage of cybersecurity analysts worldwide, and through our partnership in Boise State University's Cyberdome program, we're helping address that issue," said Jim O'Hara, Chief Revenue Officer at Stellar Cyber. "We knew this program would be a hit, and it's a model that can be applied to any geography."
Cybersecurity Requires Collaboration
This program reinstated that strong security requires mutual efforts. To make this work, students, mentors, and the local community had to cooperate - work together to defend systems.
Students would provide the community with important insights. They had to combine their theoretical knowledge with the data on the dashboard.
The local community would have to trust them and their security tools. And apply their notes to improve security. In some cases, this meant they would stop potentially damaging cyber-attacks early.
For the community, this is a reminder that cybersecurity is everyone's responsibility. Every person has a part they play in protecting an organization from possible cyber exploits.
