Cybersecurity is a field that builds upon a professional’s expertise in people, process and/or systems. This is because cyber threats target people’s behaviors, processes that are followed by a business, or features and functions of information systems and technology. Cybersecurity professionals must understand their business from at least one of these perspectives before they can successfully apply security principles in an effective manner.
People just entering the cybersecurity profession can begin with an academic understanding of security principles and/or work experience in a field that deals with people, processes or systems (such as HR, finance or Information Technology). Learning about effective cybersecurity controls can be achieved on the job, provided new employees are able to operate as part of an experience Cybersecurity team that can provide support and mentoring to refine the competencies required to successful defend or attack cyber threat actors.
Mentoring of existing employees or internships for potential employees are key success factors for people pursuing a career in cybersecurity. Success in cybersecurity does not require candidates to be programming superstars, or be the top cloud engineer in the company. It does not necessarily even require a technical degree, if a candidate is interested in the behavioral analysis side of cybersecurity. What it does require is critical thinking skills, the ability to spend long hours in front of a computer and the ability to “think” like someone who doesn’t like to follow rules while adhering to strict protocols themselves.
In this webinar you’ll hear about the key tenets of mentoring and internships including:
What is mentoring and why is it important, especially in cybersecurity careers?
The difference between mentorships and internships
How do CISA and other federal agencies support mentoring and internships?
Mentoring and internships in the private sector
A framework for mentoring
Register for the Webinar
Presenters
Bruce Mirante, Cybersecurity State Coordinator CISA Region 9, joined the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) in January 2024. Bruce is part of CISA’s Region 9 and serves as the Cybersecurity State Coordinator to the State of Hawaii. In this role, Bruce builds strategic public and private sector relationships with state, local, tribal and private sector critical infrastructure entities, and serves as a principle point of contact to non-Federal organizations interested in engaging with the Federal government to prepare, manage and respond to cybersecurity incidents.
Prior to joining CISA, Bruce was with Matson Navigation Company serving with their network and information security group.
Bruce has been in Hawaii for the past forty years, working for the Federal government both as a contractor and a civilian employee. Bruce has also worked as an adjunct professor with the University of Hawaii system and other private colleges on Oahu.
Bruce holds several computer industry certifications with Cisco Systems, Comptia, Juniper and Microsoft.
Peter Dooher is the Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy at Servco Pacific Inc. He is responsible for Servco’s omnichannel initiatives as well as its product management, data visualization and analytics, CRM strategy, technology and application development functions. Prior to joining Servco, Peter spent most of his career in Retail, supporting organizations enterprise digital and technology efforts working from a developer up to a CTO. Peter worked at Accenture LLC for over 9 years implementing technology architecture and integration solutions throughout various industries, from startups to fortune 500 companies across the globe.
This session is the third in the 2024 Fortify Cybersecurity Webinar Series, sponsored by CISA and CyberHawaii. This series was made possible by a grant from the Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. Other supporters of this series include the State Office of Homeland Security, the FBI, Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i, the Hawai‘i Defense Alliance and the University of Hawai‘i.
