DSU alum shares love of cyber with the world
March 4, 2020 | Jennifer Burris
Gerald Auger started his career as a software developer and windows administrator, but a growing interest in the field of cyber ultimately led him to continue his education, earning two degrees from Dakota State. Today he works as an information security architect at the Medical University of South Carolina, runs Coastal Information Security Group – a cybersecurity consulting business, and recently started a YouTube channel Simply Cyber to advise individuals interested in advancing in the cybersecurity field.
After earning a master’s degree in computer science from Bridgewater State College, Auger became interested in learning more about cybersecurity elements while at the same time advancing his career. This led him to Dakota State’s online master’s program in information assurance.
“The opportunity for a distance program that was narrowly focused on the field as opposed to a computer science degree with a security focus type program was a siren’s call to my ears,” Auger said.
During Auger’s time in the master’s program his desire to earn a cybersecurity related Ph.D. grew. With a positive experience and strong relationships with faculty Auger knew he wanted to complete his Ph.D. at DSU.
“The curriculum, the faculty and the obvious commitment DSU is making to growing its support for cybersecurity education, coupled with my MSIA experience, made it an easy choice to select DSU,” Auger said. “Having graduated now and looking back I’m very satisfied with my decision.”
Once the doctorate in cyber operations was fully accredited, Auger applied and was accepted to the initial cohort of students.
Auger shared that the distance part of the course delivery and student interaction was high quality at DSU.
“The benefit of having classes recorded allowed me to go back and revisit a lesson or aspect of a lecture to really ensure I understood it,” Auger said.
Auger’s Ph.D. dissertation focused on the healthcare industry, which has enabled him to be an invited speaker at conferences. With expanded research skills, Auger is now sharing his cybersecurity knowledge with the world through his Simply Cyber YouTube channel.
Simply Cyber offers insight into the cybersecurity field and how people can advance in this career field. In addition to reviews, like the one of DSU’s Ph.D. cyber operations program, Auger continues to offer advice on topics such as offense, defense, risk, compliance, privacy and more.