Any college has quite a few departments, who are often not on the same page when it comes to IT or security. RSI Security met with vendors, partners, and internal staff and made sure everyone understood what needed to happen and how to make it happen.
- Mike Zimmerman, CIO / Executive Director of Communications & IT
Challenges
Macomb Community College is the backbone of Macomb County and other surrounding areas in Michigan. It strives to transform lives through practical education, creating opportunities for economic development at the level of individuals and the larger communities they comprise.
To provide its 200+ degrees and certificate programs to 30,000+ students every year, Macomb CC depends on sound IT and cybersecurity governance. Higher education institutions across the US are frequent targets of cybercrime and other IT threats, in part because of the large amounts of sensitive data and IP they harbor. Macomb CC is committed to keeping its students, staff, and other stakeholders safe, and they made a push to strengthen cyberdefenses in 2022.
However, planning and executing high-level cybersecurity governance is never easy at an institution with such a wide variety of departments—each with unique needs, means, and constraints. Hitting landmarks like Center for Internet Security (CIS) Standards 1, 2, and 3 requires oversight that only a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) can provide.
Cybersecurity Governance
Peter Phaneuf, who heads up RSI Security’s vCISO program, met with Macomb CC CIO and Executive Director of Communications and IT, Mike Zimmerman, to gauge which technologies and solutions would be most apt for Macomb’s needs. Phaneuf scanned networks and devices across campus to understand gaps in the cyberdefense infrastructure, then created a roadmap for implementation and long-term maintenance that Macomb can follow independently.
“Peter worked with me to make sure I had concrete plans and evidence to bring to management. I could tell them I knew what would work, and how, with confidence.”
– Mike Zimmerman
Framework Implementation
Phaneuf also developed a plan for implementing CIS Critical Controls across Implementation Groups (IG) 1, 2, and 3 to meet CIS Standards 1, 2, and 3. The CIS Controls are best practices that simplify and strengthen cybersecurity across an entire organization. They create “cyber hygiene,” or greater baseline security, and make complying with various legal and regulatory frameworks much more efficient with uniform controls and reporting infrastructure.
“Looking down the line at potential compliance questions, like with FISMA, we can say we’ve implemented the underlying infrastructure that keeps all sensitive data safe.”
– Mike Zimmerman
Project Management
Jay Tank, another key member of RSI Security’s vCISO team, worked closely with Zimmerman and others at Macomb CC to ensure smooth project flow through constant collaboration. We facilitated clear, consistent communication between all stakeholders—including internal teams, partners, and vendors—and made sure everyone was on the same page before changes were made. And we created a quarterly review process to streamline approval for future changes.
“Jay and Peter met with everyone they needed to and made sure they were on the same page. And we have a cadence in place now to prevent any miscommunications.”
– Mike Zimmerman
Outcome
After engaging with RSI Security, Macomb CC has a lasting plan to maintain solid cyberdefense for years to come. Zimmerman has everything he needs to present management and legal with, along with a proven system for communicating and collaborating effectively across many departments. Macomb CC figures to keep all stakeholders safe for the foreseeable future.
“Planning and executing effective cyberdefense is never easy. But working with the team at RSI Security made it feel doable, on our own—both now and into the future.”
- Mike Zimmerman, CIO / Executive Director of Communications & IT
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