If you’ve been paying attention, you know that we’ve been on a roll here at SecureAuth. The Connected Security Alliance, the newest version of IdP, Cloud Access – these are exciting times for us, because we’ve been able to unleash so many advances in IT security.
But are we done yet? No way. In fact, we’ve just launched SecureAuth University, a cybersecurity certification program. We're especially excited about this, because it's introducing something that's been missing from not just the cybersecurity field but IT in general: a continuing education program that helps bridge the ever-widening skills gap.
It’s no secret that cyberterrorists are getting more skilled and insidious every year. In the meantime, IT security teams are struggling to keep up. They don’t understand how to protect their environments, they aren’t sure which solutions are really effective, and they don’t always know how to fully wield the tools they have.
This isn’t their fault. Many IT security leaders began their careers in an era when threats looked very different than they do today. Trying to innovate to meet business needs and manage the rapidly changing world of IT – on a budget, no less – is demanding enough. Trying to match wits with well-funded criminal gangs, or dedicated lone hackers, on top of that is a Herculean task.
Part of the problem is the lack of emphasis on continuing education in IT. Compare that to other industries, where teachers, doctors, financial planners, scientists and others are required to take classes and obtain certifications to keep their expertise on par with industry developments. The same hasn’t happened in IT.
Yet if there's a field where practices change at lightning speed, it’s cybersecurity. Teams simply must match the rapid evolution of attack tactics and new technologies – but they often don't know where to turn for that education. In the meantime, more and more new security tools and tactics roll out, leaving security professionals even further behind the curve.
Our customers regularly tells us the security skills gap is a major pain point for their organization. The 2016 Gartner CIO Agenda Report agrees; the report says 66 percent of CIOs believe there is a scarcity of talent in the field, which they name as the top barrier to achieving their business objectives. From the report: “Talent management practices are not keeping up with the ever-increasing and changing needs of the digital world.”
That about sums it up.
The Cybersecurity Curriculum
Now security professionals looking to update their expertise can turn to SecureAuth University. Through eLearning and instructor-led courses, we'll help our customers and partners obtain certification at three levels of expertise: administrator, advanced administrator and developer. eLearning is designed for your timetable; the setup is fast and it's all self-paced with no travel required. The instructor-led classes will appeal to kinesthetic and experiment learners, and offer private onsite training for specific customer needs.
Here are a few examples of what you'll learn at SecureAuth University:
- A greater understanding of current cyberattack methods and how to recognize the first signs of a breach
- How flexible workflows can tailor security requirements by user and context
- Adaptive authentication methods like device recognition or continuous authentication tools like behavioral biometrics
- How to sharpen risk analysis through threat services
- The secret to strengthening security while delivering a frictionless user experience
Once you complete your certificate, you'll be empowered to practice security on a more advanced level. For instance, you'll be able to explain SecureAuth and cybersecurity practices to C-level leaders when solving authentication gaps in your organization. As a SecureAuth customer, you'll understand the different options within the SecureAuth IdP admin console to help you better use the solution to solve key business problems. Overall, you'll come away with a better idea of the most effective security tactics working today, and what’s required to stop the most relentless criminals targeting your system today.
Not only will you learn how to close the skills gap and sharpen your skills both in SecureAuth ecosystem and the cybsecurity field, you'll obtain Individual Certification Numbers to codify your mastery. While your education will undoubtedly benefit your company by strengthening its security program, your certification can give you a career boost on a personal level – by showing you understand how to protect businesses and safeguard information.
We know many of you have been asking for this kind of certified training for a while. So if you’re ready to go back to school, you can get started on the path to a whole new set of security skills. Enroll today.
