SECURITY DAWGS BLEND FUN, WORK INTO A ‘COMMUNITY’ | ASA | SIU

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SECURITY DAWGS BLEND FUN, WORK INTO A ‘COMMUNITY’

By Pete Rosenbery

The “Security Dawgs,” Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s collegiate cyber defense squad, is more than a team; it’s a “community.”

“The most fun part is the fact that we get to create a community. It’s almost like a family once the team comes together and we spend days and months working together toward a final goal,” Johnathon M. Farmer, a junior from Rockford, said. Farmer, the student organization’s vice president, has a double major in information systems technologies (IST) and technical resource management.

The team, he said, becomes a family through hours of practice that start each fall.

Cody Lingle, a senior from Sesser who is majoring in IST, said the Security Dawgs experience is an extension of what students learn in class, similar to an advanced class. The RSO averages between 20 and 25 students who have a variety of majors.

“The competition is by far the most exciting part of it,” Lingle said. “It’s what you have worked all year for and prepared for, and when you are in the moment, it is you and your team. Through that community you build up to it. It usually goes well for us, thankfully.”

In competitions, the team will work to keep their site secure from hackers and unwanted cyber attacks, while also being responsible for system maintenance, upgrades, and completing other requests, such as installing or upgrading a website. Teams earn points based upon how successful they are at accomplishing the business tasks, in addition to identifying and stopping hacker attacks, and writing incident reports.

The Security Dawgs have been successful through the years. SIU finished fourth in the nation in 2006 and won state titles in 2006, 2013 and 2014. The team has finished second in the state six times: 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2015 and again this year in February. The team was one of two hosting the 10-team Illinois Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition.

Belle Woodward, associate professor in Information Systems and Applied Technologies (ISAT), said there was no way in 2006 to predict how successful the team would become. The students are the ones who “carry it forward” each year, she said.

The Security Dawgs are more than just about competition, said Woodward, the team’s faculty adviser.

“I’ve always told students I don’t care if we win; it’s not about winning it’s about doing the right thing and representing yourself in a way that speaks volumes,” she said. “That’s been my goal and I am just really happy that we’ve lasted this long.”

Woodward said the first thing team members consider when deciding on new members are the “soft skills” -- the ability to work together and be on time, and character.

“The person doesn’t have to be technically savvy but we look at character,” she said. “I love working with these students and learn so much from them. This is a group that helps one another.”

The Security Dawgs also host an annual “Cybersecurity Day” each spring, where community college and high school students learn about the information technology industry and participate in mock competitions.

"ISAT and SIU are proud of the continued success and tremendous effort the Security Dawgs put forth this year,” Tom Imboden, associate professor, said. “The team has demonstrated they can work together toward a common goal and are ready to enter the IT workforce and become IT professionals."