Hello, my name is John McGovern. Welcome to my University of San Diego ePortfolio.
In May of 2020, I applied for a graduate school to obtain a master's degree in cybersecurity. My goal was to gain an education that would help me be maximally effective both in my current professional role and future endeavors.
In my current position, I have the opportunity to work with a diverse group of large organizations in a variety of industry verticals. My role is to help these companies get the most out of the security data analytics software my company supplies. This is not an idle or trivial task — quite the opposite. By helping organizations better secure their cyberinfrastructure, unnecessary costs are reduced, revenue and reputations are protected, and people get to set aside their computers for the day with confidence that their business is well protected from threats.
As I was coming up to speed on my new professional role in 2019 and 2020, I realized that a master's level education from a university with an excellent cybersecurity program and instructors would help me fill the gaps I recognized in my knowledge of the field. In addition, I hoped that this education would give me insight into issues cybersecurity leaders are confronted with regularly with the goal of one day stepping into a similar cybersecurity leadership role. The University of San Diego (USD) has created one of the best cybersecurity master's programs globally with a roster of excellent instructors. These professors are professionals with diverse backgrounds from a broad complement of industry verticals who have taken the time to give back and teach. I am deeply thankful for each of them.
The time period within which I have had the opportunity to be enrolled in the Master's of Science, Cybersecurity Operations & Leadership (CSOL) program at USD certainly has been a historical one. The COVID-19 pandemic massively accelerated a profound digital transformation of the workforce and sent many to their home offices indefinitely. In addition, significant security incidents such as the SolarWinds supply chain attack, the Colonial Pipeline ransomware incident, and the Log4Shell vulnerability continue to underscore the need for talented and capable cybersecurity professionals and leadership.
The period was personally meaningful as well. I completed my program introduction surrounded by boxes while moving into my family's new home. My fourth daughter was born on the same day the program's fourth class began. Two new puppies came home to us in the last semester. It has been an exciting, busy, and personally challenging season!
The ePortfolio published here is a curated sample of my writing throughout the program. Included are reflections on the professional implications and ethical considerations of each course. I have also linked at the top of the page a reference library of cybersecurity resources I used throughout the program and a blog section for professional articles.
I am active on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcgov/. In addition, please feel free to reach out by e-mail at jmcgovern [/at\] sandiego [/dot\] edu.
Thank you for visiting this site. All the best!
John
In my current position, I have the opportunity to work with a diverse group of large organizations in a variety of industry verticals. My role is to help these companies get the most out of the security data analytics software my company supplies. This is not an idle or trivial task — quite the opposite. By helping organizations better secure their cyberinfrastructure, unnecessary costs are reduced, revenue and reputations are protected, and people get to set aside their computers for the day with confidence that their business is well protected from threats.
As I was coming up to speed on my new professional role in 2019 and 2020, I realized that a master's level education from a university with an excellent cybersecurity program and instructors would help me fill the gaps I recognized in my knowledge of the field. In addition, I hoped that this education would give me insight into issues cybersecurity leaders are confronted with regularly with the goal of one day stepping into a similar cybersecurity leadership role. The University of San Diego (USD) has created one of the best cybersecurity master's programs globally with a roster of excellent instructors. These professors are professionals with diverse backgrounds from a broad complement of industry verticals who have taken the time to give back and teach. I am deeply thankful for each of them.
The time period within which I have had the opportunity to be enrolled in the Master's of Science, Cybersecurity Operations & Leadership (CSOL) program at USD certainly has been a historical one. The COVID-19 pandemic massively accelerated a profound digital transformation of the workforce and sent many to their home offices indefinitely. In addition, significant security incidents such as the SolarWinds supply chain attack, the Colonial Pipeline ransomware incident, and the Log4Shell vulnerability continue to underscore the need for talented and capable cybersecurity professionals and leadership.
The period was personally meaningful as well. I completed my program introduction surrounded by boxes while moving into my family's new home. My fourth daughter was born on the same day the program's fourth class began. Two new puppies came home to us in the last semester. It has been an exciting, busy, and personally challenging season!
The ePortfolio published here is a curated sample of my writing throughout the program. Included are reflections on the professional implications and ethical considerations of each course. I have also linked at the top of the page a reference library of cybersecurity resources I used throughout the program and a blog section for professional articles.
I am active on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmcgov/. In addition, please feel free to reach out by e-mail at jmcgovern [/at\] sandiego [/dot\] edu.
Thank you for visiting this site. All the best!
John