Prescription for Cybersecurity:

GlaxoSmithKline Enlists its Staff in Forge Institute Cyber Training Bootcamp

The pharma industry bears all the characteristics of a primary target for cyberattacks: high revenues and intellectual property, including trade secrets and more. In fact, the  “life sciences” industry was  rated the fourth most “at risk” industry in terms of valuation impacts arising from cyber security issues, according to a Deloitte survey. 

To mitigate this existential risk, the pharmaceutical industry is turning to a proven defense – development of the workforce with key cyber skills. GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the multinational pharmaceutical company, recently enlisted four of its staff for Cyber Training Bootcamp, a hands-on 14-week course that features expert on-keyboard, all-things cyber training from cyber professionals with industry and military experience.

“We belong to an industry that is deeply invested in R&D and intellectual property,” said GSK Sr. Director of Security Infrastructure and Insider Trust,  Adam Holland. “That means we have to be careful with our data and vigilant against cyber threats. That’s why this training is so important.”

The training not only augments the skills that participants may have already acquired, but also provides offensive and defensive tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and applies the concepts in guided, real-life scenario-based lab exercises where participants gain hands-on experience they’ll immediately be able to apply on the job.

“Companies are beginning to realize that security software alone isn’t enough to keep cyber-terrorists from hacking their systems,” explains Scott Anderson, Forge Institute Executive Director. “The best security is a workforce trained to identify threats and find and eliminate vulnerabilities in the company’s own systems. There is no better cyber defense than human vigilance.”

GSK is among a growing number of companies seeking to strengthen their “human vigilance” through cyber training. In addition to the Bootcamp, Forge Institute offers numerous cybersecurity courses and services to robust cyber defenses. 

To learn more, visit our course catalog: https://www.forge.institute/course-catalog