432. Bruce Johnson, TekStream

In this episode, host Bidemi Ologunde spoke with Bruce Johnson of TekStream Solutions to unpack how the Whole of State initiative—with the Louisiana State University, Splunk, and Amazon Web Services—is turning classrooms into 24/7, student-powered SOCs that launch graduates into mid-level roles. With nearly four decades in IT security, Bruce shares how opening the door to any discipline builds stronger teams and real-world readiness. How do these student SOCs keep organizations safe while students learn? What does a typical shift and escalation look like? Can a philosophy or nursing major really become a cybersecurity analyst? How is success measured—placements, detection speed, or something else? Where does AI help without replacing humans? And what changed as the model expanded to New Jersey Institute of Technology and Louisiana Tech University?

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