Cyber center puts UA South on national level

Sierra Vista Herald | Eric Petermann

[SandRat]

With realistic aspirations of becoming one of just eight cyber academic centers of excellence in the nation, the University of Arizona South is aggressively developing a new program that will maximize the community’s efforts to attract new businesses to the area, the school’s dean, Dr. James Shockey said Monday.

As part of that effort Jason Denno has been hired as the Director of Cyber Operations Program Development to oversee the preparation of a curriculum, meeting of certification requirements and construction of a “first-of-its-kind” virtual learning environment.

Denno, 47, has worked most recently in cyber operations in the commercial sector and has an extensive background in the military, as a government civilian and working for both large and small companies that contract with the Defense Department and other government agencies.

“We could not have landed a better individual for this position,” Shockey said. “Jason is well known throughout the region; he is very highly regarded and was aggressively sought out by other employers.”

Denno said the program will provide students with the skills and knowledge base to meet the needs of both the government and industry. UAS course offerings will also support the school’s efforts to obtain certification for the National Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security, Denno said.

Shockey said UA South is also working with community colleges throughout the state, including Cochise College, to integrate with the new cyber program.

“The skills these students bring, with the additional knowledge acquired through these community colleges, will prepare them for our program,” Shockey said.

Denno said the virtual computing environment — currently called “Cyber Vista” — will provide a hands-on experience unlike anything currently offered at other cyber operations centers. Students will work in a cloud-based environment that can be accessed from any computer or mobile device connected to the internet. They will also work with a database mimicking the digital footprint of a community with some 15,000 residents, along with a web presence for businesses, utilities, government agencies, and social media activity for each of the community’s residents.

He credited Shockey for his efforts in putting the new program together.

“There are only a few people who have the vision for something like this and even fewer who can make the hard decisions and commit the resources to accomplish it,” Denno said. “Dr. Shockey has the vision, and he’s put it in motion.”

Shockey said development of the cyber program has “... put the right people around the right idea,” and brought together a community that is focused on building something that will be unique in the industry. He credited the efforts of City of Sierra Vista officials, Fort Huachuca and Cochise College as keys to establishing the new program.

In addition to Denno, UA South has added faculty to support its cyber program, including a computer network administrator, a cryptologist, and a cloud computing instructor. Later this year, Shockey said, the school will be expanding and remodeling at the Sierra Vista campus to provide additional facilities for the new program.

“This isn’t just about getting certified for NSA or DHS,” Shockey said. “We’re going to be preparing our students with the kind of training and instruction that will meet the needs of all companies that need a cyber security workforce.”

Denno said plans for the computer system will provide students — both on and off campus — with real-life scenarios, including hands-on forensic training; a virtual “malware sandbox” where students will be able to safely reverse engineer computer viruses; and a “capture the flag,” arena where students from all over the world can participate.

“When you look at the continuum, with what the city’s doing, the schools with the CyberPatriot programs, what’s happening at Fort Huachuca and in industry, our students will be educated, trained and certified in a field that should offer them local opportunities,” Shockey said.