In this episode of 7 Minutes on ITSPmagazine, Sean Martin speaks with Rushmi Hasham and Vasu Daggupaty from Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst about their impactful training programs that transform career-changers into cybersecurity professionals and bolster organizational security measures. Discover how their innovative education and corporate training initiatives are bridging the talent gap and driving cybersecurity advancements in Canada.
The latest episode of 7 Minutes on ITSPmagazine, recorded during the Black Hat Sector 2024 event in Toronto, Canada, brings insights from the dynamic world of cybersecurity training and education. Hosted by Sean Martin, the discussion features Rushmi Hasham, Director of Strategic Partnerships, and Vasu Daggupaty, Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Investments, both from Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst.
Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst, a non-profit organization operated by Toronto Metropolitan University, serves as the university’s national hub for cyber education. The organization’s focus spans three primary areas: training individuals to become cybersecurity professionals, helping organizations to bolster their cyber safety measures, and assisting cybersecurity founders in bringing their innovative solutions to the market.
Vasu Daggupaty explains that the Catalyst’s training programs certify individuals with the necessary credentials to be employable in the cybersecurity field. Moreover, organizations receive guidance on enhancing their incident response strategies and other critical safety practices. An essential part of their mission is also supporting innovators in launching new cybersecurity products and services.
The episode highlights a compelling story of Gina, a former nurse transitioning into a cybersecurity analyst role. This transformation exemplifies the success of the Catalyst’s Accelerated Rapid Training Program. Rushmi Hasham elaborates on the program’s design, which caters to mid-life career changers, providing a seven-month intensive course in collaboration with the SANS Institute. The program equips participants with hands-on skills, transitioning knowledge, and career development, ensuring they are job-ready upon completion.
Additionally, the Catalyst’s corporate training services include non-technical tabletop exercises to prepare executives for real-life cyber threats. They also offer a cyber range where clients can safely engage with live malware to elevate their technical response capabilities. This comprehensive approach is instrumental in addressing Canada’s cybersecurity skills shortage and enhancing the nation’s defensive posture. The episode concludes with an invitation to explore the Catalyst's investment initiatives aimed at fortifying cybersecurity innovations and talent development across Canada.
Learn more about Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst: https://itspm.ag/rogershxbp
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Guests:
Rushmi Hasham, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst
On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/rushmi-hasham-9523554/
Vasu Daggupaty, Manager, Partnerships & Investment, Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst
On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/vdaggupaty/
Resources
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Accelerating Cybersecurity Training and Innovation | 7 Minutes on ITSPmagazine from Black Hat Sector 2024 | A Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst Short Brand Innovation Story with Rushmi Hasham and Vasu Daggupaty
Please note that this transcript was created using AI technology and may contain inaccuracies or deviations from the original audio file. The transcript is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the original recording, as errors may exist. At this time, we provide it “as it is,” and we hope it can be helpful for our audience.
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Sean Martin: [00:00:00] Here we are. We're ready for another seven minutes on ITSP Magazine. This is Sean Martin coming to you from Sector in Toronto, Black Hat event, uh, bringing together the cybersecurity community from Toronto and beyond here in Canada. I have to say the community is strong and, uh, speaking of the word community, I had the pleasure of going to the community lounge which was, uh, buzzing with lots of, uh, amazing people and I got to make some new friends there.
And, uh, two of them are Vasu Daggapati and Rushmi Hasham. There we go. It's good to meet you both. It was a pleasure chatting with you earlier this morning. And your organization is, um, fascinating to me. A lot of good work you're doing in, in three areas, which you're going to tell me about. Uh, quickly, a few words about you and your role.
Uh, and, uh, Rushmi, sorry.
Rushmi Hasham: Thank you. Great meeting you today too, Sean. Um, I'm Rashmi Hashim. I'm the Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Rogers [00:01:00] Cybersecure Catalyst. And, joining me is my colleague Vasu.
Vasu Daggupaty: Vasu Daggapati, Manager of Strategic Partnerships and Investment at the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst.
Great to be here, Sean.
Sean Martin: Thanks. It's a pleasure to have you both on. Who wants to give the overview of the Rogers Cybersecure Catalyst?
Rushmi Hasham: I can get it started and Basu can tell you more. So the Roger Cyber Secure Catalyst is a non for profit owned and operated by Toronto Metropolitan University.
We serve as the university's national hub for cyber education and a lot of other areas which Basu is going to tell you more about.
Vasu Daggupaty: Sure. I think if we can summarize the, what the work that the Catalyst does in, it's really three areas. We're a center of training and we train individuals in how to become cyber security professionals.
We give them the credentials they need to become employable in the market. Uh, we train organizations in how to be cyber safe. Uh, testing their incidents response plans, teaching them what to do when they do [00:02:00] face an actual cyber threat. And then we train uh, cyber security founders. Uh, in helping them bring their cyber security specific innovations to market, so that we can make sure that we have the, the latest and greatest and most innovative, uh, solutions helping keep, uh, Canada safe, and by extension, the rest of the world, hopefully.
Sean Martin: Look at that, yeah, I mentioned the community lounge, there's a panel going on. Um, a person transitioning from nursing to become a security analyst. Really cool story. Hopefully Gina will join me on the podcast at some point to tell the story in full.
That's an example of some of the work that you're doing. Um, can you describe that program a little more, the education piece?
Rushmi Hasham: When we take a look at cyber security, we first started off by asking ourselves the question, who is not represented in cyber security? And we looked around and we said cyber security skills and talent shortage can be addressed by bringing diversity and [00:03:00] diversity of thought, diversity of experience, uh, diversity beyond gender and race.
And we started to look at individuals such as Gina, a labor and delivery nurse who said, I am tired of this and now I want something exciting, and came into cyber security, and is thriving in that field. Uh, she came into what we call our Accelerated Rapid Training Program. Individuals who are in a mid life career change are not ready to make a commitment to a four year degree.
They want to make rapid change, Get into rapid employment opportunities and be able to quickly establish themselves in their new profession. So our training programs really focus on how do you gain those skills that are going to get you not just started, but give you an accelerated start so you can get into those rapid, uh, specializations that industry is looking for.
So it's a seven month program. And it helps individuals to gain key hands on [00:04:00] skills, uh, with, in collaboration with the SANS Institute, the World's Health Organization. Most recognized and trusted, uh, cyber security, uh, training, really pleased that they're our partner. But also, we have catalyst programming built in that allow for individuals to, uh, know how to transition their skills from other careers, what does cyber security really need, what is the global posture in cyber, uh, cyber business acumen, and career skills because we need to transition.
So you package all of this up, and you have an individual who is. It's cyber job ready.
Sean Martin: And the important point, before we move on, she got a job. She got a job. It's all for naught if you don't actually get to apply it somewhere.
Rushmi Hasham: We've had the pleasure of training a thousand individuals. The Canada's largest up skilling, re skilling program with 85 percent placement rate.
Like we know it works.
Sean Martin: I met a few of them and there were even more hands raised in the community lounge today I saw as well, [00:05:00] alumni. Um, let's shift, uh, To the, the, the security training, and I think it was, uh, Gentleman I met this morning, I can't remember his name, does the, the, the tabletops. Yes, Lester.
Lester, yeah. Um, so talk, I think that's probably one piece of the broader thing.
Vasu Daggupaty: Well, you know, it's interesting, just to, to, to dovetail on, on what we're talking about. When you create brand new cyber security professionals that are filling the talent gap, Organizations come up to you and say, Hey, I need those kinds of individuals in my organization.
And once they're in that organization, they say, Okay, having this individual there is not enough to keep me cyber safe. I need to create a whole of organization. mentality on making sure we're, we all have a stake in, in, in keeping ourselves secure. And so that's really where the corporate training takes over and it's and it does everything from non technical training, where we do tabletop [00:06:00] exercises, mainly for the C suite executives and decision makers to be able to say, okay, when I'm faced with a cyber threat, Who do I call?
Do I call law enforcement? Do I call insurance? Do I call my lawyer? What do I tell my clients? When should I tell my clients? Do I put out a press release? What does that press release say? And it's really forcing them to think about all of those different aspects of a response to a cyber threat before it happens.
And then, you know, just to take things a little bit further, we have our own cyber range in house, where we build a virtualized network environment that mimics what clients see in their own production facilities, and they get to play with malware, like real live malware, except it's on our system. So if it breaks, nothing happens to their systems.
And that's a huge value for them to be able to train their technical staff.
Sean Martin: That's fantastic. And we're coming up on the end. It is seven minutes, but I'm going to make the last plug for you, which is on the, uh, investments in, [00:07:00] in technology. Uh, obviously the third part of, of bringing security to the, to the world, to Canada.
And, uh, maybe we'll have you back on to, to share a little bit more about that. Um, but that's seven minutes here on ITSP Magazine. Thank you both.
Vasu Daggupaty: Thank you Sean. Take care.