SC Magazine is bringing top-level information security education right to your computer screen.
The leading voice for the information security industry has launched SC Scholars (SCScholars.com), an online learning portal that enables IT security practitioners to participate in university-level education brought to you by accredited U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and National Security Agency Centers of Excellence in Information Assurance.
A natural extension of SC Magazine, SC Scholars is focused on supplementing the guidance, timely news and features, product reviews and expert opinions you, as an information security professional, already get from the monthly publication, robust website, online and live events and the SC World Congress 24/7 virtual environment.
The difference is that current and future courses offered through the SC Scholars portal are much more intensive. Those who sign up for any of the courses offered as part of this innovative educational program will be able to learn techniques and best practices to address the most current information security issues, arm themselves with additional tactics to improve the efforts they undertake day-to-day as part of their jobs, and maintain any number of industry certifications, such as those from (ISC)2, by earning their CPEs.
"The information security landscape is constantly changing," said Tom Dunbar, senior vice president and global IT chief security officer for XL Group, a global insurance company. "This requires professionals to stay apprised of the latest techniques and best practices to protect their organizations. By doing so, not only can they expand their professional knowledge and gain continuing education credits, but also further their personal career goals."
For its initial launch, SC Scholars is offering educational courses focused on software assurance and secure coding. Led by leading cybersecurity expert Dan Shoemaker from University of Detroit Mercy's Center for Cybersecurity Intelligence Studies, SC Scholars is providing courses that encompass the basic expertise required to protect software products and services against vulnerabilities stemming from defects in both the code itself and the coding practices creating it.
"Let's face it, information security practitioners are a busy bunch," Shoemaker said. "SC Scholars provides the perfect opportunity to expand their education online, from the comfort of their home or office, through courses featuring the same level of detail and depth one would find at a brick-and-mortar university."
This initial spate of courses will teach professionals how to integrate fundamental security activities into everyday software development, sustainment and acquisition processes. The emphasis is on practical application of the principles, methods and tools that are embodied by each course. Students who have mastered all of the knowledge presented here can be confident that they will be able to produce, maintain and procure code that meets all industry requirements for safety and security.
Additionally, all the knowledge represented here was derived from more than 2,000 existing sources through a study funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. It is referenced to, and elaborates on, the DHS' Common Body of Knowledge to Produce, Sustain and Acquire Secure Software (DHS-CBK v2.62). The DHS-CBK is the product of extensive joint work, which has been conducted over the past decade by representatives from government industry and academia.
Consequently, the learning that can be attained at SC Scholars, based on government- and industry-based standards and best practices, is market-leading.
And there is much more to come. For more information or to sign up, visit SC Scholars today.