LAKELAND, Fla. – A local tech firm and Florida Polytechnic University are joining forces to train students to protect the STEM institution and businesses from ongoing digital attacks.
What we know:
In the stand-alone center located within the Barnett Applied Research building, paid student interns are gaining real-world experience in identifying and combating digital threats.
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“The number of threats we see just in email alone, not including other types, is over 70,000 a month, so that’s quite a lot to sift through,” said Garrett Poorbaugh, Principal Architect and COO of Sittadel.
The institution has partnered with Lakeland-based cybersecurity company Sittadel to establish the security operations center. Â The company provides operational and technical support, while Florida Poly offers space.
“Attackers have become more sophisticated,” said Cole Allen, VP of Information Technology at Florida Poly. “What used to target only large enterprises can now be replicated at near-zero cost to small businesses.”
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This collaboration aims to meet the growing workforce demand and bring more high-paying jobs to Lakeland.
By the numbers:
The demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to rise. According to a state report, jobs for information security analysts are projected to grow by 39% between 2021 and 2029.
What’s next:
Once students master threat defense, they will progress to phase two, exploring emerging threats, including those posed by artificial intelligence.
“Will AI remain stagnant? Will it only revolutionize social engineering, or will it redefine how we think about malware, workstation security, or server security?” said Joshua Sitta, CEO of Sittadel. “We’re going to leverage the students and their research focus before it’s too late.”
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by Fox 13’s Carla Bayron.