On a mission to make cybersecurity careers accessible for everyone, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) partnered with Palo Alto Networks to launch the Cybersecurity Education and Career Resource Library. The initiative aims to bolster diversity and fill the talent gap in the cybersecurity industry. 

“One of the biggest issues currently is that every single technology company is going through a digital transformation journey,” said Niall Browne, Palo Alto Networks SVP and CISO. “So, they need products and tools to make them successful, but just as importantly, they need the knowledge to be able to secure their company.”

The resource library offers access to a set of curated content from leading cybersecurity companies like Palo Alto Networks, including in-depth K-12 cybersecurity curriculum overviews, higher education program guides, and job training information for career changers and veterans.

Browne explained that the partners want to ensure that everyone can access the right level of security knowledge, from kindergarteners all the way up to adults that are thinking about a career change.

“We didn't want to target one specific age or one specific demographic, we wanted to focus on a wide range of different individuals in different career paths,” he said. 

Palo Alto Networks also rolled out several career-training programs and guides for the resource library, including Activities in Cybersecurity Education for Students (Cyber A.C.E.S), Cyber STARS, Certified Cybersecurity Entry-Level Technician (PCCET) program, a Cybersecurity Career Guide, and a Cybersecurity Survival Guide. 

“When most people are looking at cybersecurity, or even looking at protecting themselves, there's really almost too much information out there,” Browne said. “It intimidates people, so most people fail at the first step.”

He added that “our program basically is the first step,” which generates a body of knowledge that is easy and consumable for different levels of skill sets. 

“If you look at the cybersecurity [industry], there is a huge lack of diversity,” Browne said, adding that Palo Alto has driven numerous initiatives to grow diversity across the industry. Its most recent is the Cyber STARS program, which targets schools with large numbers of brown and Black students. This program provides training courses and modules for underrepresented minorities to “ensures that they're set up for success in cybersecurity as a career path,” he added.

When setting up Cyber STARS and A.C.E.S programs for the library, the key focus is to make them as relatable as possible, Browne said, adding that volunteers from Palo Alto Networks built the content so learners can see role models from their same backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. 

“One of the big pushes as part of our STARS program is how we reach as many underrepresented minorities that are out there, so as to ensure we have far more diversity in cybersecurity,” Browne said. “We have seen that over and over again across the industry, the more diverse it is, the better the decisions that are made.”

Palo Alto Networks’ Cyber A.C.E.S program provides cybersecurity basics to equip students ages 5 to 15 with an understanding of how to protect their digital future.

This interactive learning program offers a subset of specific messages and modules for different trainings while each module is tailored to a specific age group. For students ages 5 to 7, the lessons focus on the topics of online tracking and physical security. And it gets far more advanced for 14 and 15 years olds, which includes user authentication and connections, online scams, and copyright information.

“Ensuring kids from kindergarten up have the right level of awareness is critical … and for the industry as a whole, that’s hugely beneficial,” Browne said. “Everything we do now is online.”

Teaching kids about cybersecurity at an earlier age makes them better equipped to protect themselves from being compromised as digital citizens. Plus, he added, it might encourage some of them to pursue careers as cybersecurity professionals.