A cyber summer: Students experience Elastic during IU OmniSOC Cybersecurity Summer Internship Program

Launched in 2019, the Indiana University (IU) OmniSOC Cybersecurity Summer Internship Program provides students with an opportunity to experience a “day in the life” of a security analyst. The interns learn about the day-to-day operations and the technology used to power a security operations center (SOC). As a proud sponsor of the program since its inception, Elastic leads students through various hands-on training sessions and workshops throughout the program. 

Going beyond the classroom

Unlike the previous two years when in-person participation was not an option, this year’s six-week paid program was conducted in a hybrid setting. Students spent the first three weeks in-person at the OmniSOC in Bloomington, IN. At the conclusion of the three-week training, interns traveled back home to finish the program and their final projects in a remote work environment.

Dr. Thomas Edelberg, responsible for leading the program at IU, explained that the immersive six-week program allows students to gain not only the necessary skills to further their careers in cybersecurity, but provides them with a wonderful network and community as well. During their three weeks on IU’s campus, students engaged in activities that included an orientation, Platform Engineering Sessions, Security Engineering Sessions, Service Desk/Tier 1 Engineering Sessions, and a SOC Field Trip.

“It’s more of a workshop or workforce development program,” Dr. Edelberg said. “This program offers student interns the opportunity to gain professional experience and explore a variety of real-life applications of cybersecurity while giving them hands-on experience.”

[Related article: The Ultimate Guide To: Your first job after graduation]

Preparing the next generation of cybersecurity leaders

With a belief in providing students with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the “real world,” the Elastic for Students and Educators Program views this internship program as an opportunity to help shape the leaders of tomorrow by facilitating hands-on training with the Elastic Education Team and providing access to Elastic products. During their training, students were exposed to the building blocks of Elastic Security. Moving from an introduction to Zeek, to learning about Kibana for operators, and concluding with an interactive capture the flag activity. Elastic provides the tools and training necessary to build a solid foundation of understanding and a place from which they can grow and experiment on their own. Elastic believes in the power of education, and our support of this program is just one small way we can help champion future cybersecurity leaders.

[Related article: Elastic for Education: How we support students and educators]

If you are interested in learning more about how Elastic can support your experiential learning program or course, please reach out! For more information on the OmniSOC internship, please visit the program website.