Teaching Security with the CompTIA Instructor Network

Over the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to lead the development of the CompTIA Instructor Network (CIN). We’ve been busy. For example, we’ve held Deep Dive Webinars to help instructors with CompTIA Security+ certification standard, as well as with our other certifications. We regularly invite experts to provide perceptions concerning today’s technologies. It’s been a lot of fun. But the best is yet to come.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month. This annual campaign sponsored by the National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) within the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) raises awareness about cybersecurity. And what we know (and don’t know) about cybersecurity is more important than ever. We’re more connected with the Internet touching almost every aspect of our lives, whether we realize it or not. That’s why the CompTIA Instructor Network (CIN) is participating in the NCSA annual campaign. 

Based on CompTIA’s International Trends in Cybersecurity research, human error plays an even larger role in business security breaches today compared to two years ago. This is especially true for companies in maturing economies. To counter those threats, approximately 9 in 10 firms are now employing security training to assess or improve knowledge among employees.

Many organizations are also putting a greater value on hiring employees who have IT security certifications, illustrating the increasing demand for professionals with those advanced skills. Overall, 8 in 10 managers indicate that IT security certifications are very valuable (38%) or valuable (42%) in terms of validating security-related knowledge/skills or evaluating jobs.

Of course, this is no surprise. We’ve known for years that a major part of filling the existing skills gap is ensuring the talented instructors we work with have all of the latest information. Therefore, as part of the NCSA annual campaign, CompTIA Instructor Network (CIN) is working towards preparing instructors on cybersecurity by offering security-focused webinars and discussion forums. This is vital as our members teach students in high schools, colleges and universities as well as IT professionals working in the field. Essentially, our instructors could be viewed as the first line of defense as they educate and prepare the IT pros to manage business security and continuity. 

Many CompTIA instructors teach security certification courses and prepare the IT professional on not only how to educate employees to minimize human error but also how to keep an organization secure. The mission is to help students prepare for real life scenarios. CIN strives to bring real world experience through subject matter experts to its members.

Two Opportunities to Learn:
1. The Pulse Webinar: Cybersecurity Skills Students Need to Learn
October 17
Guest speakers include: Ron Culler, CTO, Secure Designs, Inc. and Charles Kolodgy, senior security strategist, IBM. They will share their expertise in the field of security and talk about current trends in cybersecurity threats and technologies used to protect large and small business data. They will also discuss what students need to do in order to prepare for a career in cybersecurity and what to expect in a variety of positions.

2. Instructor Spotlight Webinar: Security+ Teaching Strategies
October 18
Mark Ciampa, associate professor of information systems at Western Kentucky University joins us to discuss strategies on how to teach a wide array of students in Security+ courses. What are some teaching strategies to spark interest in the disinterested?  How can we use meaningful instructions and activities that will help both beginning as well as advanced students learn about security? 
 
CompTIA Instructor Network takes an active role in supporting CompTIA network of instructors by providing webinars, resources and a platform where they can share best practices. If you want to join the CompTIA Instructor Network, or learn more, please feel free to contact us at: [email protected]