In celebration of October – Cybersecurity Awareness Month – Mount Saint Mary College’s Center for Cybersecurity recently held two talks by local leaders in the field.
Tony Cusato, a Business Information Security Officer (BISO) with IBM Corporate, discussed his path to success in the cybersecurity industry on October 17.
Cusato has nearly 40 years of experience as a technologist working with IBM's Fortune 500 enterprise clients in the Information Technology field, specializing in Cloud and IT Datacenters, and Cybersecurity.
He noted that as the world becomes more and more reliant on technology, the need for cybersecurity professionals will only increase.
“Whether you’re a bank, whether you’re an insurance organization, whether you’re a college or university – you’ve got records and data that needs to be secured,” said Cusato. “Anything you can do with hands-on experience is to your benefit. That’s the best thing about this: you’re learning with hands-on experience.”
Later that week, the Center for Cybersecurity welcomed back several Mount alumni who currently work within the field of Cybersecurity for a panel discussion called “A Journey from a Student to a Cybersecurity Professional.”
The panelists were Jack Santaroni ’16, a Proactive Security Consultant at Unit 42 by Palo Alto Networks; Ryan Bellows ’20, a Cybersecurity Analyst at Regeneron; and Sean Jennings ’17, a Cybersecurity Analyst at Central Hudson Gas & Electric.
The panel covered a variety of topics, including job interview preparation to advanced certification preparation.
The panelists agreed that students should take advantage of internships before the end of their college careers, allowing them to apply the theory they’ve learned through their coursework to real-life situations. Panelists also shared the importance of developing good communication skills within the field of Cybersecurity, which are necessary when collaborating with other departments and relaying information to clients and vendors.
The theme of Cybersecurity Awareness Month this year is “Secure Our World,” revolving around four key cybersecurity best practices: Understanding the benefits of using strong passwords and a password manager; turning on multifactor authentication on personal devices and business networks; recognizing and reporting phishing; and installing updates on a regular basis and turning on automated updates.
“Cybersecurity is everyone’s business,” noted Sagar Raina, associate professor of Information Technology. “As an institute of higher education in the Hudson Valley, the Mount has a critical role to play in educating people about cybersecurity. The college’s Center for Cybersecurity, through workshops and boot camps led by expert faculty, will provide effective resources for local businesses, schools, and government organizations in cyber defense education and training.”
The Mount’s Center for Cybersecurity provides program guidance and oversight to the college’s Cybersecurity major and concentration; brings expert speakers to campus; provides cyber defense resources to the campus and the community; and more. The initiative is maintained by the college’s Division of Mathematics & Information Technology and supported by an external advisory board of local and national industry professionals, as well as faculty from the Mount and other institutions.