Brandeis GPS Blog

Insights on online learning, tips for finding balance, and news and updates from Brandeis GPS

Month: October 2015

Are you protected?

October 21, 2015 / / 0 Comments

by: Scarlett Huck

Have more questions? Want to learn more? Don’t miss our #AskTheExpert event with Cyber Security Strategist and Evangelist at Intel Corporation, Matthew Rosenquist! You can RSVP here.

2015 has certainly not been deprived of threats and successful hackings into cyberspace. With big business companies such as Home Depot, Target, Staples,  and Sony under fire, it is hard to believe that anyone is safe.

Why does this continue to be a growing concern? Who are behind these attacks? Survey says that more than half of reported incidents were staff-related. These breaches included, but were not limited to: “unauthorized access to data, breach of data protection regulations, and misuse or loss of confidential information”. When dealing with staff-related issues, there are certain precautions that can be taken. The first is to make sure employers are informed of the risks and of the data protection laws and the consequences of breaking them. It is also important to make sure employers are not tricked into divulging secure information via over-the-phone scams.

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But what about the other half of attacks that are not employee based? These are the attacks that tend to be more deliberate and malicious. For example, take the Impact Team. This is a group of hackers who are hacking for what they believe to be ‘good’. In a quote directly from the group they stated they plan to hack “[a]ny companies that make 100s of millions profiting off pain of others, secrets, and lies. Maybe corrupt politicians. If we do, it will be a long time, but it will be total.” The team is currently best known for their hack of the adultery-encouraging website Ashley Madison. The hackers demanded the site be taken down immediately or the personal information of Ashley Madison’s clients would be released in 30 days. When these terms were not met, a list of names and email addresses of the site’s users was released in order to expose them for their infidelity. Situations like this are becoming known as “hacktivism,” or the act of hacking for a politically or socially motivated purpose.

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With attacks occurring every day, it is important to remember to protect yourself. The Department of Homeland Security offers many tips including using proper passwords and privacy settings, thinking before you post on social media and being cautious of what you download. It is also important to be cautious if you run a small business, which are commonly hacked due to lack of security. As far as big business is concerned, larger strides must be taken. Business Insider recommends the steps that must be taken to prevent future attacks, President Obama is currently requesting $14 billion in the 2016 budget proposal in order to tighten government cybersecurity and laws regarding cybersecurity and data protection are becoming stricter. Within the near future, there is hope for the decrease in cyber attacks.

Have more questions? Want to learn more? Don’t miss our #AskTheExpert event with Cyber Security Strategist and Evangelist at Intel Corporation, Matthew Rosenquist! You can RSVP here.

 

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How to Stay Balanced

October 7, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Written by: Scarlett Huck

Do you find yourself struggling to balance your career and your academics? Maybe you work a full time job and would like to return to school but are unsure of how to do so. Or perhaps you are enrolled in school while also focusing on your career, leaving you in with an overwhelming state of stress. While it may seem impossible, there are ways to balance your life. Take a deep breath and follow these easy steps!

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Communicate. This can help on a number of levels. If you are feeling overwhelmed, talk to someone: a colleague, a friend or a family member. Two brains are always better than one at problem solving! Often, simply talking about your problems reduces your stress level. Communication is also important between you, your job and your education. For instance, if you are working a full time job but are interested in returning to school, meet with your boss. With clear communication, your boss can even see this as beneficial.

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Plan your finances. A large concern about school is the fiscal responsibility. While the price tag may seem intimidating, there are practical ways to pay off the bills. One of the easiest ways is to speak to your employer. Often companies reimburse their employees tuition in order to have well-educated, more qualified workers. You are not limited there, you can also apply for scholarships (often merit-based) or work for the school in your free time. Brandeis GPS also offers employers tuition discounts! This can be very helpful when looking to get an affordable degree.

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Disconnect. Yes, we are all living in the 21st century and this means we are constantly glued to our smartphones, tablets and laptops. This instills a sense of easy accessibility and contributes to the amount of time we spend on our devices. While this ease of access is great for work and school, attempt to minimize their use in your free time. Notifications are not easily ignored, adding a sense of stress to a non-work or school environment. Turn off your devices and enjoy what is happening; emails and texts can wait.

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Stay Healthy. Your body is your friend and you need to take care of it. It is easy to say you are too busy, you don’t have time to exercise or cook a healthy dinner. However, busy people have a tendency to drive their bodies (and therefore their immune systems) into the ground. Waking up early, spending a day stressing, running around, drinking infinite cups of coffee and staying up late just to wake up and do it all over again causes a strain on your body. Make time for a few stress-relieving exercises and stretches, find quick recipes for healthy food in a hurry to keep your body running strong and make getting enough sleep a priority. Pay attention to your health and keep in mind that it is much more difficult to be efficient once you’re sick!

With these tips in mind, you are ready to balance your life! Be sure to check out Brandeis University’s Graduate Professional Studies to see if our online courses could be a good fit for you. We offer rolling admissions and flexible programs to fit your busy schedule!

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“Ask the Expert” Special Event Webinar

October 6, 2015 / / 0 Comments

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“Ask the Expert: Cyber Security” 

Led by Matthew Rosenquist, Cybersecurity Strategist and Evangelist at Intel Corporation

Wednesday, October 21st at 7pm via Adobe Connect

Matt’s areas of expertise include :
  • Security industry advocacy
  • Security strategy and planning
  • Security operations management
  • Platform security product/service development and sustaining operations
  • Emergency/Crisis response command, control, and communications
  • Security policy development, training, and compliance oversight
  • M&A information security strategy and management
  • Security product strategic planning
  • Technical and behavioral risk assessment and threat analysis
  • Determination of security business value and ROI
  • Threat Agent Risk Assessment (TARA) methodology
  • Internal and external investigations
  • Corporate consulting for risk management and strategic alignment
  • Security industry outreach, evangelism, speaker, and champion

 

RSVP here

 

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Matthew Rosenquist joined Intel Corp in 1996 and benefits from over 20 years in the field of security. Mr. Rosenquist specializes in security strategy, measuring value, and developing cost effective capabilities and organizations which deliver the optimal level of security. Currently, a cyber-security strategist for the Intel Security Group, he helped in the formation of this industry leading organization which brings together security across hardware, firmware, software and services.

The community can connect with Matthew via Twitter @Matt_Rosenquist, Intel Blog and LinkedIn.

 

SPOTLIGHT ON JOBS: MGH

October 5, 2015 / / 0 Comments

spotlight-CHANGED-300x200SPOTLIGHT ON JOBS

Members of the Brandeis GPS Community may submit job postings from within their industries to advertise exclusively to our community. This is a great way to further connect and seek out opportunities as they come up. If you are interested in posting an opportunity, please complete the following form found here.

Where: Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Division of Gynecologic Oncology

About: The Center for Gynecologic Oncology provides individualized, compassionate care and the most advanced treatments for women with all gynecologic cancers, including:

Position: Part-Time Statistical Programmer/Data Analyst

The Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the Massachusetts General Hospital is looking for a part time statistical programmer/data analyst to assist with programming for grant-funded projects investigating quality of health care, primarily focusing on care for cancer patients.

  • This individual will create data sets, create statistical programs and algorithms, conduct statistical analyses, and interact with organizations such as health insurance companies that provide data.
  • Typical activities involve analyses of large-scale, longitudinal data sets containing health-related information obtained from Medicare, insurance companies, and other sources.
  • Activities may also involve the creation of database management systems for projects that involve primary data collection.
  • For all projects, information from multiple data sources and files are typically merged to create analytic data sets. Individual will be responsible for merging data files, documenting steps taken to merge files, documenting any new variables created for analysis, and creating statistical programs and algorithms needed for analysis.
  • Once analysis goals are set, the Data Analyst will conduct analyses under direction of the project Principal Investigator and other Co-investigators, but will make independent decisions about how to implement analysis most effectively and accurately and how to report results.
  • Additionally, the analyst ensures that tables, figures and text of reports accurately reflect the results of the analysis.
  • The job offers the opportunity for one-to-one mentoring, authorship in peer-reviewed studies, and direct exposure to academic medicine.

Requirements: 

  •   At least 2 years of experience in SAS programming, experience with other languages (e.g., STATA)
  •  The ideal candidate will have a masters or higher in biostatistics and experience analyzing Medicare and/or other health insurance claims datasets.

 

Interested candidates should send their resume and cover letter to Alejandro Rauh-Hain at jrauh-hain@partners.org.

Make sure to reference seeing this position through the Brandeis GPS job spotlight post.

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Increasing Interest in Cybersecuirty Education and Careers

October 2, 2015 / / 0 Comments
Matthew Rosenquist

Written by:  Cybersecurity Strategist and Evangelist at Intel Corporation

The world is facing a growing problem as people’s everyday lives are becoming more digital and increasing our reliance on cybersecurity to protect our interests, yet there are not enough security professionals to fulfill the rising demands.  This leaves gaps in the security of companies and organizations we share information with.  There is hope on the horizon.  Academia is adjusting to increase the training of graduates and there is a rising interest in students to study the variety of cybersecurity domains.  But more students are needed as demand is far outpacing the expected rise in available talent.

All the right elements are in place.  Pay for cybersecurity is on the rise, the needs for an estimated 1.5 million jobs is already growing, and higher education institutions are working collaboratively to establish the training infrastructure necessary for the next generation of security professionals to be prepared for success.  What is missing are the necessary numbers of students.  There simply is not enough.

The good news is millennials are interested, but need more information in order to commit.  Survey results from the Raytheon-NCSA Millennial report show the most prevalent factor for prospective students to increase their interest, is being provided data and expertise to explain what jobs entail.

Providing basic career information is absolutely possible but not as simple as it may seem.  Job roles do morph very rapidly.  Some data suggests as often as every nine months security professionals see their role, expectations, and focus being shifted into new areas or vary radically.  With such a rapid rate of change, cybersecurity is truly a dynamic domain where responsibilities are fluid.  This is not likely to turn off prospective millennials, as they are a generation which embraces diversity.  It may in fact, contribute to the attractiveness of these careers.  Combined with a strong employability and excellent pay, the industry should have no problem filling desk seats in universities.

What is needed right now are for experienced professionals to step up and work with educational institutions to explain the roles and responsibilities to the pool of prospective students.  Open forums, virtual meetings, presentations, in-class instruction, and even simple question-and-answer sessions can go a long way in painting a vivid picture of our industry, opportunities, and challenges which await.  The community should work together to attract applicants to the cyber sciences, especially women and underrepresented minorities who can bring in fresh ideas and perspectives.  I urge higher education institutions to reach out to the security community professionals and ask for help.  Many are willing to share their perspectives and industry knowledge to help inform students and encourage those who might be interested in a career in cybersecurity.  Only together can the private sector and academia help fulfill the needs for the next generation of security professionals.

TwitterIconFollow Matt on Twitter: @Matt_Rosenquist

Interested in Cyber Security? Join our #AskTheExpert session with Matthew Rosenquist! RSVP here

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