Students Supplement First Line of Defense in Guarding NJIT From Cyber Threats
NJIT is pioneering a safer, more secure campus infrastructure through a partnership with Splunk, a leader in enterprise security, and TekStream Solutions, experts in digital transformation. Together, they are strengthening vital internal campus systems and creating a model for other colleges and universities — all while students are provided with real-world, experiential learning.
The Highland Watch Security Operations Center (SOC) will be staffed by student team members, which include Amreen Kaur Bhatia, David Bode-Disu, Jesse Gonnerman, Jacob Oniszk, Adhavan Swaminathan, Lea Schaar and Jimmy Silva. Schaar is vice president of the NJIT Information and Cybersecurity Club.
The student team will be responsible for guarding NJIT’s cyber assets between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., when the university community is most active. Beyond the myriad daily minor threat alerts that normally occur in the state, anything deemed critical is escalated by the team, who serve on the first line of defense.
“NJIT is committed to staying ahead,” said Blake Haggerty, interim vice president of information services and technology. “Our students are a vital resource. This is an opportunity for them to get a leg up over their peers in the professional world by aiding in resolving security issues through experiential learning in real time.”
TekStream CEO Rob Jansen added, “Companies want this real-world experience. We are cultivating globally competitive students.”
Splunk Group Vice President Mary Lou Prevost noted that there are 3,400 cybersecurity jobs open in the state of New Jersey. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the need will increase by approximately 33% in the next decade.
The launch of Highland Watch SOC builds on a broader partnership with Splunk that has transformed how the university manages both cybersecurity and IT infrastructure. Through Splunk’s cloud platform, observability tools and enterprise security solutions, NJIT has real-time visibility into its systems — from enrollment and learning platforms to campus networks — allowing disruptions to be detected and resolved before they impact students.
The Highland Watch team are excited to play an important role in assuring that the experience for their fellow students and the university community is a safe and secure environment for everything from public safety and campus activity to learning management systems — and much more.
“Having [the students] right here in our own shop – you can’t get any better than that,” said Haggerty.
NJIT is designated by the National Security Agency as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education.