From the Frontlines to the Firewalls: The Empowerment … · Cyber Security & The Looming Talent Gap UST GLOBAL I FROM THE FRONTLINES TO THE FIREWALLS: THE EMPOWERMENT OF VETERANS

USTGlobal ®

From the Frontlines to the Firewalls: The Empowerment of Veterans in Cyber Security

UST GLOBAL, July 2017

By: Tony Velleca & Cynthia Leimbach

Cyber Security & The Looming Talent Gap

UST GLOBAL I FROM THE FRONTLINES TO THE FIREWALLS: THE EMPOWERMENT OF VETERANS IN CYBER SECURITY I JULY 2017 1

By 2020, the talent gap in cyber security will be 1.5

million positions, according to the 2013 (ISC) Global

Information Security Workforce Study. The Global

Risks 2015 report agrees that cyber security is a

massive issue. In January, the World Economic

Forum (WEF) issued this rather stark warning: "90

percent of companies worldwide recognize they are

insufficiently prepared to protect themselves against

[cyber-attacks]." Considering that cybercrime costs

the global economy over US$400 billion per year

according to the Center for Strategic and Interna-

tional Studies, the image we hold of cyber security

becomes crystal clear. The future of cyber security is

critical and as such, we must ensure its imminent

success.

Recently, on April 5, 2017, the Veterans Today

Network reported in alignment with the Bureau of

Labor report in early 2017, that only 3.9% of unem-

ployed citizens are veterans. Yet, if you look at the

number of unemployed veterans in West Virginia,

New Jersey, Louisiana, California, New York, Illinois,

Wisconsin, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Minnesota, the

rate increases to over 6%. Moreover, this only

accounts for young veterans aged 20-27. If you take

into account older veterans, the number of unem-

ployed veterans rises exponentially, creating a

superb solution to an upcoming crisis.

Transforming lives is the core mission at UST Global.

Through tremendous dedication to set a leading

example in communities around the world, we were

able to recognize that the unemployment rate

among veterans and women in the US offers a

unique opportunity to invest in their recruiting, reten-

tion and technological training. Women are becom-

ing invisible in the thriving tech world, a top field and

one of the fastest growing professional occupations

for US workers, with an estimated 1.8 million

computing jobs by 2018, according to the US Depart-

ment of Labor. UST Global and CYBERPROOF™

responded by creating Step IT Up America (SIUA).

With Step IT Up America, UST Global identifies and

invests in outstanding talent (both women and veter-

ans) through careful and rigorous assessment.

Our program transforms obstacles into opportuni-

ties. Unlike any other programs out there, we offer

guaranteed one year job placement to qualified

candidates upon graduation, and a generous stipend

during the training program. To address the dearth of

women and veterans working in technology, UST

Global launched Step IT Up America in 2013. The

proprietary STEM program aimed to create 5,000

new tech jobs by 2020 for minority women in urban

areas. To reach its goal, Step IT Up America started

by training and employing women in eight of the


nation’s largest cities - Atlanta, Philadelphia, Detroit,

Chicago, Boston, Rochester, Bentonville and Kansas

City. The types of jobs that this helps women

become qualified for range from testers and

programmers to IT administrators.

We decided to test this approach leveraging our

Step IT Up America program – targeting veterans

and creating an intense cyber defense training

program. Fortunately, a lead Fortune 500 Retailer

supported us in this endeavor by sponsoring the

initial class of 15 veterans, and was rewarded with

formidable results. Our Step IT Up America Veterans

training is the first cyber security program that guar-

antees jobs to graduates. Here’s how:

The Step IT Up America program is a strategic

platform designed by UST Global, that empowers

veterans who have served and protected their

nation, and recognizes them as being the best

positioned to transition into vital cyber security jobs.

Step IT Up America, a UST Global National Program,

provides a highly effective formula designed to train

and employ women and veterans in the field of

technology (STEM), at an accelerated pace.

This year, UST Global’s first all-veteran Step IT Up

America Cyber Security batch of 15 students gradu-

ated at the retailer’s headquarters. The veterans

were trained over 14 weeks on a cyber security

curriculum jointly developed with CYBERPROOF™,

offering them next-generation cyber security servic-

es. The Step IT Up America (SIUA) Cyber Security

course covered necessary skills such as Java, .NET

and COBOL, for entry level Security Operations

Center (SOC) personnel. The graduates were

equipped with the know-how to monitor, track and

respond to security incidents as entry level person-

nel in a Security Operations Center (SOC).

A major Fortune 500 Retailer -Retail giants must protect their complex and widely

distributed IT environment. A Fortune 500 Retailer

had recently transitioned their cyber defense from a

transitional MSSP back to an in house team, but they

needed more people. Fortunately, they took a leap

of faith and sponsored our first veterans program as

we co-created meaningful results. They sponsored

our initial class of 15 veterans to be trained in cyber

security, but that was not enough. To induct the

team of veterans, there cyber defense operation

needed to be tuned and documented. CYBER-

PROOF™ filled the gap by helping them document,

assess and tune their incident response plans, and

create training materials specific to these needs.

Creating a robust cyber security mechanism for

complex IT infrastructure is a journey and not the

destination. There is immense need for highly expe-

rienced cyber security professionals to manage

security infrastructure in order to maintain a secure

data environment. In today’s exponentially growing

security market, top notch cyber security talent is

not only limited, but also hard to recruit and retain.

As is common in cyber security, this major Fortune

500 Retailer had used a Managed Security Service

Provider (MSSP) to manage their security operations.

When they decided to bring the responsibility of

security operations in-house, unfortunately, a lot of

the process and procedure was lost in the transition.

This company deeply cared that the veterans be

successful; so the next task was to set up the cyber

defense operation complete with incident response

plans and proper tools, and tuned to maximum

effectiveness. In other words, leveraging our cyber

experts, CYBERPROOF™ set up the cyber defense

operation as an extension of the retailer’s current

team, created a rigorous mentorship program and

tuned the systems to detect critical alerts and filter

out the noise.

CYBERPROOF’s™ custom program ensured that the

Veterans extended their basic cyber security training

to the retailer’s specific environment and had elite

support to ensure their success.

A Fortune 500 Retailer’sChallenges

The Solution – SIUA Veterans


The graduates have started work at the SOC at this

Fortune 500 Company, monitoring security tools and

providing first-tier response to security incidents,

which are fully managed by CYBERPROOF™.

The trainees came from diverse backgrounds

including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. We

believe that there is a mindset that comes from

defending your country that can be applied here –

it’s less about being a hacker and more about

defense, and knowing how and when to defend – in

the first place, you need to recognize that there is an

enemy and they have an intent to harm you. Most

people trained in IT systems are trained how to keep

the systems up and running. For cyber security, it’s

distinctly backwards – being able to recognize that

there is an enemy inside your network, and that they

have an intent to harm is our foci. We found that vets

are distinctly better at cyber security jobs, since their

military training gives them the mindset that there is

an enemy with an intent to harm. UST Global and

CYBERPROOF™ know that the best possible hackers

are the ones with a military background, as they are

trained to predict malicious behaviors of potential

enemies, and able to prevent attacks. We believe

that military trained people have a distinct advan-

tage, because of how they view all situations from a

preemptive and dual lens of offense and defense.

This major retailer was able to recognize the power-

ful benefits a military mindset offers. Proof-point;

when our veterans hit the ground, their discipline

and work ethics were evident as they showed up ten

minutes early and were focused and attentive.

Veterans have a unique background of defense and

a pure understanding, of what it means to defend

something. The retailer was so pleased, that we

received an enthusiastic response to train more.

Pleased with the outcome of this mission, advocate

of Step IT Up America and CEO of CYBERPROOF™,

Tony Velleca, announced, “Veterans have the tenac-

ity and perseverance in getting through the curricu-

lum in record setting time.” Tony spoke highly of the

leadership and mentorship provided by former

marine and mentor of the Step IT Up America Gradu-

ating Class of 2017, Mark Rabbitt. When speaking

towards his unit, there was an unmistakable tone of

teamwork and pride for his cohort as he enthusiasti-

cally said, “Teach, coach and mentor – let’s getter’

done!” This spirit and mindset, is part of what sets

CYBERPROOF™ Step IT Up America Veterans at the

forefront of cyber security’s solutions today.

According to Mark Rabbitt, former US Marine, and

leader of the Step IT Up America 2017 graduating

class: “The program is life changing. The benefits of

veterans – goes into situational awareness – being

able to ID what doesn’t belong there – to be aware of

your surroundings – making sound and timely judge-

ments on what needs to be acted upon, and knowing

when it’s time to ask for help versus when to act.

They possess a sense of integrity and a sense of

sound judgement – because of what they have done

in their past – bringing a higher level of awareness,

Veterans of the Step IT Up America 2017 graduating

class shared these final thoughts with us –

Ron Perreault, Associate Systems Engineer, US

Marine Corps Veteran:

“Marine Corps Veteran (1987-1993) Desert

Storm/Desert War. I specialized in aviation electron-

ics working on helicopters. I moved back home to

Boston and started at EMC Corporation. I started as a

test technician and was then promoted up to a Test

Engineer working on large data storage equipment

(1994-2000). For the next 5 years, I worked as

Test/QA Engineer Consultant with both hardware

and software testing platforms. I then took a right

turn into real estate, professional realtor for 10+

years, selling over 300 homes resulting in over 75

million in sales. 2015 is where things changed; my

wife became ill with the pregnancy of my 4th daugh-

ter and I had to take care of her and my family. My

real estate career slowed down accordingly and I

had to reassess what was best for my family and my

career going forward.

During fall 2016, after searching for jobs online, I

came across the Step IT Up America Veteran

Program and thought cyber security was out of my

reach; I submitted my resume for the opportunity as

what did I have to lose. The most challenging part for

me was the initial test screening with over 75 people

looking to fill 20 spots. Making the cut, I committed

all of my time and efforts to learn and relearn the

course material. Working together as a team

reminded me that we all have strengths and weak-

nesses and good communication was critical. I am

excited to see what the future holds for me as a

Cybersecurity Analyst; being versatile and open

minded will be keys to my success.”

A Raging Success!


Brandon Cooley, Associate Systems Engineer & U.S.

Army Veteran:

“Before the Step IT Up America opportunity, I had

been laid off as a QA Specialist in the biotech indus-

try and took on a special role as a stay-at-home dad.

Although I worked over 10 years to strengthen differ-

ent skills and learned many computer applications to

stay in demand in the industry, I always knew that it

would not be a satisfying career for me. I wanted to

be in a career with purpose and meaning like my

time in the Army. When SIUA offered this in-demand

career opportunity, it was great timing.

The 14 weeks I have spent in the Cybersecurity

Analyst training has been greatly beneficial not only

because I learned the foundation and tools I needed

to become a Cybersecurity Analyst, but all that SIUA

has provided to help better my future and career

path. This is a one-of-a-kind golden opportunity.

Even though I made it through the intensive selec-

tion process, I knew I wasn’t there yet. It was up to

me to do the work, put in the sacrifices, and the time

to not only pass but excel as well.

The curriculum as well as the incentive of being paid

to learn is an incredible deal. The soft skills taught

and the class mentor were also apart of a deal that

enhanced my progress throughout the process of

reaching the end goal of receiving my certificate with

my fellow classmates. I really wanted this and SIUA

gave me the tools I needed to succeed. I am excited

to see where I go in this ever-changing field of

Cybersecurity. I wanted a stable and fulfilling career

and through SIUA, I am on my way to creating it.”

Paul Pambah, Associate Systems Engineer & US

Army Veteran:

“After 6 years of a successful career in Business

Analysis in Kenya, I decided to pursue an MBA in the

US, with a focus on advancing my career in Business

Process Management. As the days went by and

graduation came, I struggled to find a job because

most employers were not willing to sponsor me for

work visa. Just before I headed out, the US Army

offered me a new lease of life as Supply Specialist in

the Army Reserve. Upon completion of military

training and in the search for a job, I heard about

SUIA, contacted them and jumped onto it as I liked

what they offered. It wasn’t a smooth ride through; I

had to endure the science on how computers

process, store and transmit data which I initially felt

wasn’t for a non-engineer like me. As time passed

by, with support from our mentors and a great team

of classmates, I came to understand that you can

never protect a computer system, let alone fix some-

thing unless you understood how it worked.

In the cyberspace, there are no known enemies; so

this class has transformed me from thinking about

solutions to anticipating problems and crafting

appropriate defense. I look forward to taking on the

challenges and opportunities in our new role as

Cybersecurity Analysts working with a diverse team

sharing in their success and learning as much from

their challenges to grow in knowledge and advance

my career.”

These vets have been wildly successful picking up

the job.

CYBERPROOF™, a fully owned subsidiary of UST

Global, serves as a long-term cyber security partner

for global Fortune 500 clients. The next generation

cyber defense capabilities of CYBERPROOF™ are

powered by military grade, Israeli intelligence exper-

tise, and is unparalleled in the cyber security indus-

try. CYBERPROOF™ manages Threats, People, and

Assets with precision while leveraging AI-powered,

fully automated threat intelligence capabilities that

detect anomalous behaviour patterns through deep

learning.

CYBERPROOF™ started as a company that focused

on advanced attack simulations. After conducting

60+ successful cyber-attack simulations against

some of the most sophisticated financial institutions,

critical infrastructure and global 2000 companies,

we decided it was time to think differently about

cyber security managed services. We asked

ourselves: “What would we do differently to defend

against our attacks?”

Our people are the core of what we do, and MSSP

(Managed Security Services Provider) is what we do

best. Our expert team comes from Israeli Intelli-

gence led by the former Director General of Israeli

Intelligence, Yuval Wollman. Our defense teams

must be global; so we need talent based all over the

world. We found that military-trained people

perform extremely well in cyber security, especially

when led with our experts from the elite Israeli

intelligence units.

Introducing CYBERPROOF™:


The custom program of CYBERPROOF™ ensured

that the veterans extended their basic cyber security

training to the retailer’s specific environment and had

elite support to ensure their success. This unique

combination of advanced detection capabilities is

designed to work with and complement any existing

stack of security technologies, and offers five differ-

ent tiers of front line intelligence. Our processes and

procedures are tuned to the unique characteristics of

our clients and utilizes years of military-grade cyber

defense methods and capabilities. CYBERPROOF™,

takes a rigorous and practical approach to drive

best-in-class cyber security governance for the

international companies that we protect. CYBER-

PROOF™ teams are the best in the world, offering

Defensive (Tier 1-2), Offensive (Tier 3-4), and Cyber

Intelligence, FORTRESS 5 ™ (Tier 5).

For more information on how you can help us create

jobs for veterans while filling the gap in cyber

positions, please contact: www.Cyberproof.com

One of the many ways UST Global is transforming

lives of veterans is by giving them the training and

the opportunity for not only a secure career, but a

better future, in cyber security.

UST Global is passionate about changing lives

through technology. In a rapidly changing world,

digital transformation is necessary, as technology

touches how we live, work, connect, play, and grow.

Our commitment to transform lives through humani-

ty, humility and integrity has recently led to a

partnership between the 2017 Step IT Up America

graduating class and many retail giants. One of the

many ways UST Global is creating meaningful

change is by transforming the lives of veterans who

have faithfully served their country. By providing our

vets with opportunities to succeed in cyber security,

we are agents of positive and compelling change in

US communities from coast to coast.

UST Global believes in social responsibility and UST

Transforming Lives is taking action. By implementing

meaningful change, we are transforming communi-

ties across the globe. Our valuable programs like Step

IT Up America give others a glimpse into our gateway

of innovation. We possess the capabilities, commit-

ment, and ability to transform the world, by acting

locally – to become agents of change, globally.

UST Transforming Lives seeks to create strong

bonds in underserved communities throughout the

US, by helping under-represented and marginalized

people rehabilitate themselves, in order to gain

valuable skill sets and remain competitive in today’s

(and tomorrow’s) fast changing world. Our desire to

give and help others less fortunate than us is a

common denominator among many UST associates

and our families. Our philanthropic hearts are aligned

with a vision to serve 5 million by 2020.

Step IT Up America & UST Global’s Mission to Transform Lives:

UST Global® is a fast-growing digital technology company that provides advanced computing and

digital services to large private and public enterprises around the world. Driven by a larger purpose of

Transforming Lives and the philosophy of “fewer clients, more attention”, we bring in the entrepreneurial

spirit that seeks the fastest path to value in today’s digital economy. Our innovative technology services

and pioneering social programs make us stand apart. UST Global is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, Califor-

nia and operates in 21 countries. Our clients include Fortune 500 companies in Banking and Financial

Services, Healthcare, Insurance, Retail, High Technology, Manufacturing, Shipping, and Telecom. UST

Global believes in building long-lasting, strategic business relationships through agile and client-centric

global engagement models that combines local experts & resources with cost, scale, and quality advan-

tages of global operations.

For more information, please visit: www.ust-global.com

ABOUT UST GLOBAL

Corporate Office UST Global ®5 Polaris Way, Second Floor, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

Tel: (949) 716-8757 Fax: (949) 716-8396www.ust-global.com

For further information contact: [email protected]

/USTGlobal /USTGlobal /ustglobalweb /company/ust-global

USTGlobal ®

From the Frontlines to the Firewalls: The Empowerment … · Cyber Security & The Looming Talent Gap UST GLOBAL I FROM THE FRONTLINES TO THE FIREWALLS: THE EMPOWERMENT OF VETERANS

Documents