Celebrating Three Years of Partnership with Cloud Security Alliance
By Scott Bowman, Senior Career Coach, SecureSet
Cloud Security Alliance Colorado (CSA-CO), one of the largest chapters in the nation, has seen nothing but growth over the last five years since its inception in 2015. At over 1500 members at the time of writing, CSA’s Denver Meetup has seen a steady following as the adoption of the cloud and its inherent security risks has rapidly increased.
CSA’s intentions are to “promote cloud security awareness, [with the goal of] building a Colorado community of security and compliance folks with an interest in protecting their organizations’ cloud assets.” They do this by hosting monthly discussions on captivating and useful topics related to the cloud, which typically end in a happy hour and friendly, light conversations. It is not uncommon to bump into Chief Information Security Officers (CISO’s), technical and non-technical information security staff, students in training programs, and self-taught hackers; all are present to better understand the wild west frontier that is the cloud.
A Natural Partnership Formed
In September 2017, SecureSet Academy began hosting CSA-CO meetup events in its new location on 2228 Blake Street in Denver. Students and alumni of SecureSet, now working for institutions like the State of Colorado, Raytheon, VMware, Akamai, Ping Identity, etc. were introduced early on to these events while they completed their cybersecurity coursework. Cloud Security Alliance works hard to ensure its events are inclusive of all learners in the security community; which has historically been of immense support to our students entering their new careers. Students who attend these events not only learn about emerging technologies and trends in the cloud, but more importantly they find mentors, friends / allies, and resources for continuing their learning.
A Shared Interest in Education
Cloud Security Alliance offers a unique pathway to demonstrating a mastery of cloud security best practices. They offer and administer the CCSK, or Certificate of Cloud Security Knowledge. We have found the CCSK to be a major value-added asset to our students and graduates over the years, with nearly a dozen alumni holding CCSK certifications and countless others completing the training. This new set of skills is an excellent way for anyone (new or experienced) to augment her or his effectiveness in information technology and security.
At the end of the year, CSA’s monthly meetings culminate into their annual Fall Summit, a growing conference that brings together the best and the brightest companies and individuals shining light into the cloud. There are always new opportunities to gain insight and fresh perspectives, with the goal being to share the latest philosophies and practices for securing cloud environments. As with all of CSA’s events, this is a place many of our students have found personal and professional growth, as well as a way to continue building the trust of their peers.
Securing the Future Together
We at SecureSet Academy would like to sincerely thank Cloud Security Alliance for opening their doors to our community of learners. These are uncertain times, but we know we can always count on our partners (and friends) at CSA-CO for lighting the way, inspiring and facilitating valuable thought-leadership, and creating a space where learners of all backgrounds can flourish to better Secure the Future.
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Denver CSA Meetup
CSA Colorado Chapter
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