The Future of Public Sector Cybersecurity Is Student-Powered SOCs

By Judd Robins, Executive Vice President | TekStream

There are an estimated 750,000 open cybersecurity jobs today. 

With the number of sophisticated cyberattacks increasing daily, the lack of talent makes it increasingly difficult for organizations to effectively protect their digital assets. And the most vulnerable are public sector institutions.

The solution? Blending student-powered security operation centers (SOCs) with a whole-of-state approach.

Strength in Numbers: TekStream’s Whole-of-State Model
Budget constraints have long been a barrier to improving public sector cyber defenses. Yet running a SOC using best-in-class technologies while competing with the private sector over a shrinking talent pool is not just ineffective; it’s expensive. 

This is not a situation public sector CISOs and CIOs can buy themselves out of. No amount of federal funding or grants will solve the problem without addressing the talent gap. TekStream’s Whole-of-State framework solves this by leveraging our best asset: students.

Pioneered in a public-private partnership with LSU and technology partners Splunk and AWS, our approach blends workforce development with a flexible, cost-effective cybersecurity investment model. It’s rooted in the premise that we are stronger together. 

We can leverage our strengths to present a unified front against cybercriminals. Built on a shared network using AWS infrastructure and Splunk SIEM/SOAR technology, public sector entities can share the program’s cost while enhancing their infrastructures through shared intelligence and automated threat response. 

But it all hinges on developing the next generation of cybersecurity talent: a must-have for all. 

Students as the Solution to Public Sector Cybersecurity
Solving the workforce crisis will require more than a formal education. The emergence of AI has diminished the need for entry-level roles, increasing the barrier of entry for students pursuing a career in cybersecurity. TekStream’s solution bridges the gap and provides a faster path toward productivity. 

It works by enhancing formal tiered curriculums with just-in-time training in a multi-tenant SOC environment. Students work alongside our employees to gain cybersecurity incident response and engineering experience, mapping threat frameworks, mitigating and remediating threats, anticipating cyberattacks, and more. 

With no cap on their learning experience, students have limitless opportunities to explore multiple roles, from red teaming to project lead, and beyond. TekStream designed the program to be degree-agnostic and self-paced to empower all students to reach the highest level of capability.

The impact of our approach is two-fold. Students graduate from the program with a dashboard of activities and events completed and a higher level of skills equivalent to a mid-level cybersecurity engineer, enabling them to quickly enter the job market.

Meanwhile, public sector entities benefit from a growing pipeline of highly skilled cybersecurity talent. Not only does this address the workforce gap, it also stimulates economic growth by meeting market demands and keeping talent in the state. 

A Flexible and Cost-Effective Framework: How the Model Works
Under the TekStream Whole-of-State framework, every participating institution has a role to play. Higher education provides the talent pipeline and sandbox for the SOC. State and federal agencies supply the funding and connectivity. The private sector delivers the technology and framework. 

Since our solution is built on a cost-deferment investment model, public sector institutions gain long-term control of their programs. In simplest terms, as student proficiency increases, the cost and level of TekStream involvement decrease.

Participating entities also benefit from a growing library of shared assets. This enables collaboration across state lines. Public entities can continuously improve their security posture, leveraging best practices, insights and research from peers in the SOC to safeguard the future of their digital infrastructures. 

However, TekStream’s Whole-of-State approach is not only beneficial for students. The framework was designed with flexibility in mind. Local governments can apply the same approach to retraining and upskilling existing IT staff and members of the community. 

Facing Cyberattacks Together as a United Front
The workforce crisis is not isolated to the public sector. It’s an industry-wide challenge we’re all grappling with. By working together and leveraging our strengths to cover the blind spots in our defense systems, we are protecting the integrity of our social institutions. 

Since launching the student-powered SOC at LSU, the framework has fast become the industry standard for hardening public sector infrastructures. New Jersey Institute of Technology, Austin Independent School District and others are modifying the program to align with their goals. 

We consider our model a win-win-win for the cybersecurity community. Our partners also agree.