Cybersecurity Scholarship Program Part 3

Most enterprises and even individuals have suffered at least one data breach one way or another. Cyber-attacks are constantly evolving and Data security has become a bigger priority. Many businesses who have not previously considered it necessary to bring on board dedicated cyber security expertise are changing their minds. And going forward what this means for businesses, employees and anyone who’s connected to Internet that when it comes to security, we are going to make sure that various assets of the company get the Rolls-Royce treatment (at least, most of the time) by having effective security measures. This demands for Cyber shield and defence – A more proactive security posture and develop our own capabilities in areas such as malware analysis, threat hunting, automation and threat intelligence.

Finally I can say that ethically I am allowed to fight Cyber-crime as I have successfully completed my Cybersecurity Scholarship Program with Cisco and recently passing my final exam with flying colours has honoured me ‘Cisco Certified Cyber Ops’ – big whoop to me. It has taken last 6 months sleepless nights, sacrificing weekends & personal plans and most importantly dedication and hard work to come this far. I am really happy that I had an opportunity to be part of this scholarship program while the world is facing skill gap in Cybersecurity especially when Cyber-attacks are becoming more prolific. I am now really looking forward to applying my new skill-set in the real world and at work place to educate people around me and to protect the valuable properties. I am sad this program has come to an end as I will miss my mentors and colleagues and friends I have made for life from around the world but it has been very exhilarating and an incredible experience.

I cannot thank my team enough at The Bunker for all their continued support. I hope this can inspire others to follow their goals and achieve anything they strive for. Cyber security is important and growing priority for every business because government, military, corporate, financial and medical organizations collect, process, and store unprecedented amounts of sensitive data on computers and other devices. ‘The Bunker’ as a company and the managed security provider understands its clients and the protection of their business and valuable possessions beyond anything else and they are the leaders in Cybersecurity as part of the ‘Cyberfort Group’ and are data-driven, automated security solutions.

‘Cyberfort Group’ are committed to helping businesses protect themselves and their customers from the perpetually evolving range of Cyber threats and their solutions are a combination of security intelligence, analysis of applications, state-of-the-art technology and consultancy together with continuous investment in research and development to meet the objectives of reducing Cyber risk. They emphasise on reducing time and costs spent on security, stages simulations of attacks to test whether the company is sufficiently prepared, and of course, develops the best responses to security breaches.

It is an exciting journey out there and sometime you just have to grab the opportunity. I have really enjoyed writing this final blog and hope you have found them insightful. That is me signing out and wishing you all in advance ‘A Happy Christmas’ and ‘Happy Holidays’

Cybersecurity Scholarship Program Part 2

Another day, another cyber security breach. To name but a few recent victims; British Airways, T-Mobile, Boots, Dixons, TSB Bank, Facebook. No one is untouchable and the threat landscape is growing exponentially – proof that the world of cyber security is never a dull one.

Well, I am currently half way through my Cisco Global Cyber Security Scholarship and have recently passed my first exam. I was just on a 3 week vacation in Alaska and British Columbia, which was already planned before my acceptance in this scholarship program, but the amazing thing is that, with the self-learning and online mentoring of latest trends in cyber security technology, I have been able to keep up to date and study hard wherever I found secure internet.

The course is rather intense, but I can already see that the knowledge I am learning will bring real benefits to myself, and within my role at The Bunker. Everything so far has lived up to my expectations, and I am finding the setup of the course self-explanatory and easy to follow. Being able to interact in the lessons also adds to the experience, knowing others are taking the same journey as I am.

The support from my team at The Bunker has been amazing; everyone here are joining in the anticipation of my results and progress through this incredible opportunity that I have been given. The Bunker, as a company, values its clients and the protection of their business and intellectual property above anything else. They are data-driven, providing automated security solutions, and they are leaders in cyber security as part of the Cyberfort Group.
Cyberfort Group are committed to helping businesses protect themselves and their customers from the perpetually evolving range of cyber threats, and their varied solutions are a combination of security intelligence, analysis of applications, state-of-the-art technology and consultancy, together with continuous investment in research and development.

I have already started the other half of my course, which I am even more excited about as it involves practical lab work and covers the operational side of cyber security. Stay safe in this Cyber world and I will see you in a few months peeps 😉

Cybersecurity Scholarship Program

Cybersecurity is an ever-changing industry today because of IoT, where we learn something new every day with an awesome community of collaborators. I would like to share my experience on getting a place on the ‘Cisco Global Cybersecurity Scholarship’ after a 6 months wait. Life always feels good when your hard work pays off and shapes your goal. To help close the security skills gap, Cisco introduced the Global Cybersecurity Scholarship programme in 2016. Cisco has invested $10 million in this programme to increase the pool of talent with critical Cybersecurity proficiency. I am honoured to be a part of this programme and to be one of the carefully selected 2000 candidates from all over the world out of thousands of applicants.

I heard about the Scholarship through social media and it intrigued me to see how far I could improve my knowledge and portfolio in the internet security world. I applied towards end of last year and 5 months later Cisco Systems emailed me with hope saying ‘I met the requirement to progress further with the application’ and invited me to attend phase-1 & phase-2 of this process, which involved going through a number of questions and a highly competitive technical exam. I needed 75% to be accepted and I excelled with 84%. A few days later Cisco congratulated me on being accepted for the programme and now my exciting journey into Cybersecurity begins in July. Cisco are going to sponsor me throughout for all training, mentoring and coaching including study guides and follow up exams through their very talented resources. Knowing that this is the final one has made me even more determined.

Working at The Bunker as a Network Consultant for the last 10 months has given me an incredible platform and the goal to strive for excellence in security as The Bunker as a business values its client and their security above anything else and they are the leaders in Cybersecurity as part of the Cyberfort Group. The Bunker and my fantastic team has kindly offered to support me in every way possible throughout this scholarship, which I cannot thank enough and I am very humbled.

I am really excited and looking forward to my scholarship programme to further develop my skills in Cybersecurity. More updates to follow in future so watch this space – See you people in Cohort 7