Sivan Tehila, director of the Katz School’s master’s program in cybersecurity, at its newly opened Security Operations Center
Yeshiva University Katz School of Science and Health has unveiled New York’s first security operations center to help students gain experience and allow businesses to practice for potential events.
The center is a response to the increasing number of cybersecurity threats to businesses.
“The idea is to have them see what it feels like to respond immediately to security incidents,” said Sivan Tehila, director of the Katz School’s master’s program in cybersecurity.
The center provides hands-on experience for students, including immersive simulations where they actually feel as though their company is under attack in real time. The facility is not just for students. All around the city, small- and midsize businesses without dedicated security teams are encountering hacks and security threats. They will be able to access the center to get help when facing security threats.
The launch of the center comes at a time when cybersecurity is in the news as a business and consumer threat—but also an economic development opportunity because of the increasing number of jobs in the sector. This week, the New York City Economic Development Corp. also made headway in cybersecurity plans, launching a pilot program to facilitate paid internships in cybersecurity positions. Companies can request to be a part of the program here.
Last year Mayor Eric Adams’ Blueprint for Economic Recovery noted that cybersecurity was, along with life sciences, an increasingly important area of growth for the city. There are about 60,000 people working at more than 300 companies in the industry, according to the economic development corporation.
About two years ago, Yeshiva began thinking about adding a security center so that program graduates would have real-world experience monitoring, said Paul Russo, the university’s vice provost and dean of its Katz School.
“They can understand the hacker viewpoint, to understand the company and assess vulnerabilities,” he said.
In the meantime the cyber program at Katz continues to grow. Its online program is ranked second in the nation, and enrollment is expected to grow in the coming years.
In four years enrollment in the cybersecurity master’s program has increased from eight students to 70, Tehila said, and the school expects to double that within a few years. She said graduates work at JPMorgan, Deloitte and EY, among others.
“Our real work is building the workforce that powers New York City,” Russo said.
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