Most students who complete their studies lack relevant work experience.
In cybersecurity, that skill gap is even more pronounced because the industry is evolving at an accelerated pace.
Professionals and vendors have to keep up with an increasing number of hacking attempts and sophisticated exploits.
The ever-changing nature of the industry makes it difficult for universities to teach students relevant skills — something they can apply on the job once they complete their degrees.
On the other hand, many organizations don’t have the resources to invest in cybersecurity tools and training that protect their assets from hacking.
Stellar Cyber, known for its Open XDR technology, has officially launched the Stellar Cyber University Program.
How does the program provide students with relevant experience, make a difference in communities in dire need of cybersecurity services, and give future professionals better odds at finding a job after the degree?
Here’s what you should know about this first invite-only cybersecurity program.
Overcoming Key Challenges of Student Training
Universities want to provide hands-on experiences and programs for their students. However, they often can’t because of these three main hurdles:
- The high cost of the technology used for training and mentorship expenses
- Keeping the curriculum up to date is time-consuming
- Lack of support from vendors
Both mentorship and technology are available to universities free of cost when it comes to Stellar’s partnership program.
“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.”
The second obstacle is that universities don’t have the time to adapt the curriculum as often as they should. Yet, students need to keep up with the skills in high demand in cybersecurity. Technology and hacking methods change too fast.
Finally, even if security vendors do provide tools for students, universities aren’t their priorities. That is, vendors rarely offer extensive and hands-on support to students in training.
Offering Training to Future Security Professionals
To address these three difficulties, Stellar Cyber’s Program is designed to provide everything necessary for training:
- Technology
- Curriculum
- Mentorship
The technology that Stellar Cyber provides is the Open XDR platform. This intuitive security solution has been integral for businesses of different sizes to detect cybersecurity incidents within their infrastructures.
The platform is a collection of versatile security tools. It relies on machine learning and AI to make sense of large volumes of data. During this program, Stellar Cyber allows its Open XDR platform to be used in educational labs within chosen universities.
Stellar Cyber already has ready-made courses that educational institutions can use as part of their instructor-led training. Their comprehensive course shows those in training how to approach detection, investigation, and response using the platform.
For mentorship purposes, students can seek advice and coaching from industry experts from Stellar Cyber and its community.
Helping Students Find Employment
This program gives a career advantage to students after they complete their degree (and even before that). For some, it acts as career orientation.
This is ideal for students who plan on applying for cybersecurity roles after completing their degree or for those who aren’t sure which career path to take.
The program gives them a deeper insight into what the actual role of the security expert entails.
“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. “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 training opens up career opportunities for students who complete the program. Over the years, Stellar Cyber has built a wide community of partners and customers that rely on the Open XDR technology.
They’re often looking for new talent to join their teams.
Students who complete the program and learn how to get the most out of the OpenvXDR platform to advance security will qualify. They’ll have the right skills to apply for the roles and internship programs within this community.
Providing Real-World Experience While Safeguarding Communities
One reason that this program is rewarding for students is that it will help to provide much-needed cybersecurity services to communities that lack the budget and resources to build and maintain a security operations team. Such entities need robust security but can’t afford the cost of technology and security professionals.
Students use security tools to seek threats within their environments in real-time. Then, they investigate them and, if needed — respond to said threats.
As a result, students who participate in the program get hands-on experience while working with the tools necessary for threat investigation — including NDR, SIEM, and UEBA.
Stellar Cyber offers this program for free, but they’re also highly selective of whom they’ll offer this invite-only partnership program.
They want to dedicate their resources to both universities and non-profits that truly need them.
“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.”
Student Training Made Simple With Stellar Cyber
Stellar Cyber’s University Cybersecurity Partnership Program simplifies the training process for universities while helping students gain relevant skills.
The program not only looks good on a CV but also helps students to back up their theoretical knowledge with real-life insights. It’s proof that they already have relevant experience in the field.
