Center for Internet Security awards $250,000 grant to support Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS)

EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y., May 30, 2024 -- The Center for Internet Security, Inc. is proud to award the second annual Alan Paller Laureate Program grant to Women in CyberSecurity (WiCyS), a nonprofit organization that creates accessibility and opportunities for women in the cybersecurity workforce.

WiCyS plans to use the grant to help fund its Security Training Scholarship program, a skill-development program designed to uncover hidden talent and increase diversity in the cyber workforce, empower women with the skills necessary for success, and address the critical workforce shortage in the cybersecurity industry.

The grant will also enable WiCyS to offer a course on the CIS Critical Security Control (CIS Controls), which will better qualify program participants to secure long term jobs, while also encouraging more widespread adoption of the CIS Controls as critical to effective cybersecurity.

The CIS Controls are a cornerstone of the CIS organization, which was co-founded by Alan Paller. He was also the founder of the SANS Institute and Sans Technology Institute, the nation's first regionally accredited, specialized cybersecurity college and graduate school Paller was well-known and highly respected in the industry for building the cyber talent pipeline.

"We were thrilled to see the jump in the number and diversity of applications in the second year of the Alan Paller Laureate Program," said Tony Sager, CIS Senior Vice President and Chief Evangelist. "They all demonstrated that the spirit of our founder will impact generations of people and their careers in cybersecurity. Our winner, Women in CyberSecurity, was influenced by Alan at their inception, has already had great impact, and is finding ways to incorporate new ideas and connections that will further the causes he cared about. We're very excited to see what they will do next!"

To learn more about the Alan Paller Laureate program, including eligibility and the application process, please visit the Center for Internet Security.

To learn more about WiCyS and the Security Training Scholarship program, please visit Women in Cybersecurity.

For more information, please contact CIS Sr. Media Relations Manager, Kelly Wyland at [email protected] or call/text 518-256-6978.