Originally posted here by liquidmatrix


What is the biggest problem within Information Security education?


I am currently a graduate student at of the many schools schools that is currently endorsed by the NSA as being a "Center of Excellence" for Information Assurance (Security) education. I am also persuing a concentration in IA. The biggest problem/complaint I have regarding my school is the lack of real-world experience that the professors (within my department at least) have. I've been in the program a year now, taken a course with each of the two "security" professors, and, as far as I know, neither one of them has done anything in the real world (aside from consulting) involving security. Both taught straight out of books, and shared very little personal experience. In the entire university I am at, I only know of one professor that has any real world, relavant work experience in the INFOSEC field.

With that in mind, I have two pieces of advice for you:

1. Look for a school who's professors have actually worked in INFOSEC outside of a university.
2. Look for a program that offer's hands-on experience in the classroom. This is my second biggest gripe. Anybody can talk about security. To this point, that's all I've done in classes. Employers, I feel, want people that can sit down and do security.


What is your opinion on the best method to stay atop of this dynamic industry (e.g. formalized education within academia, certifications, training, etc)?


e) All of the above. Don't be afraid to read, research, do, or otherwise learn on your own though. You'll probably have to wait on certs until you get out of school because a) they're expensive as hell to obtain and b) some require years of work experience before you can even sit for them...namely, the CISSP


What methods are you using to increase InfoSec awareness within your organization?


Right now, where I work, we have a site on the corporate Intranet with security information for the masses. Unfortunately, it's outdated, lacking in information it does have, and poorly organized. Do the opposite of the above, keep it as simple as possible, and advertise it with in the company, and you should be good...or as good as you an be rather.

PS: The ones I didn't respond to are because I'm only an Intern at the moment with no real experience to answer the questions.

Hope this helps,

alpha