Cybersecurity is the industry of the future.
If we only consider the financial damage of security incidents, the data shows that the cost of cybercrime is expected to double by 2027.
In 2023, the global cost of cybercrime worldwide is estimated at $11.50 trillion. In four years, the projected financial damage will likely total $23.82 trillion USD.
The technology security professionals use constantly changes. It evolves to keep up with emerging cyber exploits. And a large number of hacking threats.
The systems that businesses rely on change as well — increasing already large attack surfaces.
To protect their assets, companies need security experts who have the right skills to reduce the chance of a costly attack.
Most universities don’t have the time or funding to teach these skills to their students. For future cybersecurity professionals, this means that it takes longer than it should to get that first job out of college.
Open XDR innovator Stellar Cyber has launched the first program that helps students get hands-on cybersecurity experience.
How does the Stellar Cyber University Partnership Program help universities, students, and disadvantaged communities?
Helping Universities Free of Cost
“Stellar Cyber is proud to offer this comprehensive, collaborative education program free of charge for those training our cyber warriors of the future,” said Jim O’Hara, Chief Revenue Officer at Stellar Cyber.
When Stellar Cyber collaborates with a university on their new program, they offer:
- Access to technology, i.e. their Open XDR platform
- Instructor-led training for the use of the platform
- Mentorship through their network of cybersecurity professionals and partners
Stellar Cyber has been developing its Open XDR (Extended Detection and Response) platform for almost a decade.
Combining the functionality of several key cybersecurity solutions (including SIEM, TIP, IDS, NDR, and UEBA), the platform offers united security in one place.
Using machine learning and AI, it analyzes and correlates large volumes of data arriving from once-disconnected security tools.
Enrolled students use Stellar Cyber’s Open XDR in the university lab to seek threats and react to them before they escalate.
The platform is intuitive and created to facilitate security analysis for smaller businesses, but the instructions help students optimize this security solution.
Stellar Cyber also offers ready-made instruction-led training. Because it’s too costly for universities to alter their curriculum as often as they should.
As students use the platform and learn more about it, they also have access to coaching and experienced mentors who have a long history of working in the industry.
Preparing Students for Careers in Cybersecurity
After they obtain a degree, students often aren’t sure:
- Whether cybersecurity is the right career path for them
- What kind of opportunities do they have in this growing industry
- How to breach the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills
The program provides the students with insight into one aspect of cybersecurity, giving them a glimpse into the role of the security expert.
They’ll use the Open XDR platform to detect threats, investigate possible high-risk incidents, and respond with suitable measures.
During training and threat hunting, they get the skills that companies actively hiring security experts today genuinely need. With it, the program is bridging the gap between theory and practical skills common for new graduates.
“We are honored to do our part to help shrink the worldwide cybersecurity skills gap and provide security services to communities in need. It’s our objective to scale as broadly as possible and to assist universities as they prepare their graduates to enter the cybersecurity workforce.”
Besides technology, training, and mentorship, Stellar Cyber also offers a certificate. Stellar Cyber Certification Program is another way to separate themselves as job candidates once they complete their degree in cybersecurity.
Offering Enrolled Students Job Opportunities
The students who complete the program will be known as reliable future professionals who have the right skills and the practice to show for it.
Stellar Cyber has built a large network of partners and customers who need security professionals who are well-versed in the Open XDR platform.
“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 and Partner Enablement at Stellar Cyber.
Students who participate in the program will not only have a better understanding of what a security role entails and what kind of roles are available.
They’ll also be linked with direct opportunities.
Having access to Stellar Cyber’s private LinkedIn group, they’ll be the first ones to know about the internship and hiring opportunities within the Stellar Cyber community.
Protecting Underserved Communities
The impact of this program goes beyond the universities and even after a grad career. Students get hands-on experience in the field by helping underserved communities that lack the technology that can safeguard them against evolving cybersecurity incidents. In most cases, such communities don’t have the resources to hire their own security operations team to manage their security.
The program changes that by protecting communities in need with the latest cybersecurity technology.
“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.”
How Can Universities Apply for the Program?
The partnership program is an invite-only opportunity, and it’s the first of its kind. Universities that do quality for it have to:
- Provide the students with a certificate or a degree in cybersecurity
- Utilize the Open XDR platform in their educational labs
- Allow Stellar Cyber to use their details for promotion purposes
- Agree to provide underserved organizations with security operations free of cost
Also, this is a great way to stand out as a university. That is, become an institution that provides the students with real-life experiences and programs that help them build foundations for a career in cybersecurity at the university.
Working as a cyber security solutions architect, Alisa focuses on application and network security. Before joining us she held a cyber security researcher positions within a variety of cyber security start-ups. She also experience in different industry domains like finance, healthcare and consumer products.
