Featuring:

• Craig Woolley, Chief Information Officer at Louisiana State University (LSU)
• Kim Milford, Chief Information Security Officer at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Ed Wozencroft, VP for Digital Strategy and CIO at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)
• Mary Lou Prevost, Group Vice President | US | State, Local Government and Education at Splunk

Episode Highlights:

Student-Powered SOC: A Revolutionary Education & Security Model

• How LSU created a scalable "student-powered" SOC model that provides real-world cybersecurity experience while enhancing institutional protection
• The unique public-private partnership with Techstream that enables 24/7 security operations while students work regular business hours
• State-level buy-in with $7.5 million in recurring funding that has expanded the model to over 20 institutions across Louisiana

Developing the Next Generation of Cybersecurity Professionals

• How the model creates a direct pipeline to industry with the first cohort of students all receiving job offers before graduation
• The critical "six-week" timeline from student hiring to SOC frontline deployment, meeting the urgent need for cyber talent
• Why both LSU and NJIT open their programs to students of all backgrounds, not just IT or cybersecurity majors

Expanding Data Analytics Beyond Security

• University of Illinois' creative applications of Splunk beyond security - from analyzing email marketing performance to library resource utilization
• How IT data helped locate a student in crisis at NJIT, demonstrating the life-saving potential of security analytics platforms
• The power of data visualization in communicating cybersecurity threats to government officials and securing institutional buy-in

Building Consensus in Decentralized Universities

• The patient, collaborative approach to cybersecurity policy development with faculty at LSU through regular committee meetings
• University of Illinois' strategy of absorbing security costs centrally rather than charging departments to ensure wider adoption
• How cross-institutional partnerships amplify security capabilities through shared threat intelligence

Timestamps

• (00:00:00) Intro
• (00:00:58) Meet the innovators: HigherEd leaders transforming cybersecurity
• (00:02:00) LSU's game-changing SOC model: Where university security meets workforce development
• (00:05:40) Addressing the 2.3 million cyber job gap: "We have to solve this talent challenge"
• (00:07:40) NJIT's bold vision: Expanding the student SOC model across New Jersey's institutions
• (00:11:00) Beyond security: University of Illinois transforms email analytics and library services
• (00:16:15) Data saves lives: How network analytics prevented a campus tragedy at 2AM
• (00:22:50) "All three have job offers already": The remarkable ROI of student-powered security

Quotable Moments:

• "We call it student powered, and that's because we created a public-private partnership with a company called TechStream... it's not relying solely on the students." - Craig Woolley
• "There's over 2.3 million open cyber jobs... My biggest challenge in public sector is talent. So love this program so that we can get the right talent out to government, out to education, out to private sector." - Mary Lou Prevost
• "From an economic development and workforce development, the whole goal is the same as Craig's. Keep our students in our state." - Ed Wozencroft
• "This program is open to students of all backgrounds, so you do not have to be in an IT degree or cyber degree." - Craig Woolley
• "We use [Splunk] a lot for analyzing email data... our data analytics people said we want this data, and so we set up this really great process where they now have dashboards." - Kim Milford
• "That was the moment of realizing, for me, the power of data and analytics, tools like Splunk, and how IT could really think differently and serve a public good." - Ed Wozencroft on using data to help locate a student in crisis

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Partners

Thanks to our friends at SentinelOne for being our Podcast & Newsletter Partner

• SentinelOne: Learn how SentinelOne empowers this state to stay secure: https://assets.sentinelone.com/ghe/sentinelone-empowers
• Verizon Frontline: The advanced network that keeps first responders connected when it matters most. Check out the solutions built for first responders: https://www.verizon.com/business/solutions/public-sector/public-safety/
• Carahsoft: Did you know TechTables will soon be on the Carahsoft Master Contract? Speak to your Carahsoft rep today about special discount pricing only through the TechTables + Carahsoft partnership, and email joe@techtables.com if you have any questions!