This October, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month commemorated its 15th year as an annual initiative to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. On Wednesday, October 24, 2018, the College of Computing & Informatics’ (CCI) Corporate Partners Program (CPP) hosted an Executive Panel on Cybersecurity, bringing together information technology experts to answer questions and lead a discussion with an audience of 40 CCI students, faculty and professional staff.
The event began with open networking and hors d’oeuvres as attendees entered the room. Isaac L. Auerbach Professor and Dean Yi Deng, PhD offered opening remarks to the crowd, expressing support for the growth of CCI’s cybersecurity programs. “We already have a robust overarching portfolio of computing and security technology programs and we look forward to expanding enrollment, as cybersecurity is one of the key areas for growth in CCI’s strategic plan for the next five years,” Deng said.
The expert panelists included Nicholas W. Santillo, Jr. (Vice President, Chief Digital infrastructure and Security Officer at American Water), Stephen Stewart (Chief Technology Officer at Nuix) and Chuck Ludwig (Head of Information Security at Susquehanna International Group, LLP). The panel’s discussion was guided by moderator Thomas Heverin, PhD, Associate Teaching Professor in the BS in Computing Security and Technology (BSCST) program. Heverin teaches classes in ethical hacking, computer forensics, network forensics, cloud security and cybersecurity.
As the discussion got started, Heverin asked each panelist to explain how cybersecurity impacts their respective industries and how they began working in the field of information security. Over the course of the evening, the panelists addressed cybersecurity issues that impact organizations of all sizes, including malware threats, inside threats and accidental user actions, and the utility of machine learning as a method for preventing future attacks. The panelists also offered advice to audience members on how to mitigate their own risks.
Toward the end of the panel, Heverin passed his microphone to Marisa Tranchitella, a student in the Computing Security & Technology program. Tranchitella guided the audience in a Q&A session with the panelists to close out the event.
This event was the first Corporate Partners Program Executive Panel of the 2018-19 school year. CPP Executive Panels provide the CCI community with unique insights and perspectives on career development and industries, technology in society, diversity and inclusion.
If you’d like to learn more about CCI’s BS in Computing & Security Technology, visit the BSCST page.