Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) – The University of Montana has deepened its partnership with Blackfoot Communications to bring even more effective cybersecurity, especially to smaller Montana communities.
I spoke with Tom Gallagher, Dean of Missoula College about the innovative partnership between UM and Blackfoot.
Missoula College and Blackfoot Communications Combine for Cybersecurity
“We’ve had a long standing relationship with Blackfoot Communications,” began Dean Gallagher. “They’ve always been a great supporter here at Missoula College, and this is just like another page we’re turning in a book of great opportunities for our students, and this particular opportunity is a security operation center that we’re hosting to train security analysts. That’s an extremely high demand job in the cyber security career field, and there’s a there’s a definitive need across our country for more security analysts.”
Gallagher mentioned two acronyms, or two entities that will help provide training to cybersecurity students.
Gallagher Used Two Acronyms CISA and PISCES to Describe the Programs
“So we’re working with the cyber ‘CISA’, which is a ‘cybersecurity infrastructure security agency’, which is a federal organization, and then also a group out of the state of Washington, known as the Public Infrastructure Security Cyber Education System, or PISCES.”
The collaboration will bring students into a real world entity that will help enhance cybersecurity throughout Montana.
“What that partnership has done is brought together a group where we’re able to open up a security operations center, which is all for work based learning,” he said. “It also provides a service to our small rural municipalities who might not have any type of network traffic monitoring taking place right now, so we will employ some Montana students to help defend some of our Montana infrastructure.”
Dean Gallagher said the security operations center will open soon.
Gallagher said the Security Operations Center will Open This Summer
“We’ll launch it here this summer,” he said “We’ll have three different cohorts of interns that will come in and work through this program. They will receive academic credit. We’re going to pay those students, as well as work study students, and then we’ll help our community out as well. And I, when I say community, I mean the larger state of Montana community.”
Gallagher said Missoula College has become Montana’s cybersecurity hub, offering both two and four year degrees in cybersecurity.
