Careers in Cybersecurity: Brooke Denney, MITS Program & OU

The Master’s in Information and Telecommunication Systems (MITS) program offers students the ability to strengthen their technological and networking skills to enter higher positions in the ITS industry. Brooke Denney, Shawnee State University (SSU) Information Systems Management alumna, is currently studying in the McClure School’s MITS program.

As a freshman at SSU, Denney initially majored in game development but quickly found a passion for integrated technology systems. All in her first day of school, she interviewed for and received a position as the Primary Blackboard Administrator for SSU’s IT Department.

“Shawnees a really small school, so it actually gives a lot of opportunity to the students to fill roles that might be a full-time role somewhere else,” says Denney.

Through her SSU mentor, Dovel Myers, Denney was encouraged to enter the expanding cybersecurity field. By her sophomore year, she changed majors to a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, majoring in Information Systems Management and minoring in cybersecurity to keep her options in the field open.

“What made me really want to do this rest of my life is the amount of problem-solving that goes into it. Somebody will come down with a wild issue, and you just have to figure it out,” says Denney. “My field is like that even in my new role. It’s intense problem solving, it's so fun, and it's not operational. It's not monotonous [because] you are always walking into something different.”

Myers also introduced Denney to Ohio University’s Dr. Arauz and Dr. Cruz sophomore year of her undergrad, and she started visiting the McClure School’s classrooms and facilities. This sparked her interest in furthering her education at OU and led her to the MITS program that would enhance her knowledge in the career she loves.

“[The McClure School has] such a relevant master's degree, specifically within this field, because in order to be a good cybersecurity analyst, you have to understand the fundamental inner workings of networks and how everything works together,” says Denney. “This master's degree has really helped me paint that picture of those underpinnings that I used to not previously know.”

Since beginning her master’s degree, Denney has also begun her career and works full-time for Ohio University’s Office of Information Technology (OIT). To start out, she was a website administrator, assisting with website malfunctions. She then got a position as Information Security Analyst I where she worked on operational aspects, like website security and security training.

Since January 2020, Denney has been working as an Information Security Analyst II for OIT. This position requires her to configure security metrics, manage cloud vendors, and consult different departments.

“I'm defending companies from bad actors. [Cybersecurity] really gives you a purpose within it because it's one thing to have your break-fix rolls but when you are on active defense, like defending the company you are working for, you get a personal stake in it,” says Denney. “You are like the protector of the institution, and it’s a really rewarding field.”

For Denney, the MITS program has already begun assisting her in her OIT position at OU today. “[The MITS program] forces you to really learn and understand the knowledge that they're dishing at you,” says Denney. “Even in my career right now, the things that I learned in class I use as a relevant example at work.”

Although the master’s program requires lots of time and attention, along with a high-grade point average, it is perfect for students who are looking to become well-rounded in their chosen career path. The faculty, staff, and students dedicate their time to hands-on, real-world issues within a myriad of IT industries.

“Continuous education just inherently gives you a leg up as opposed to halting your learning. It's important to continue learning no matter what stage you are in life,” says Denney. “[The MITS program] keeps me engaged with the field.”

The McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies strives to offer the best academic programs in the IT (Information Technology), the game development and the Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality (VR/AR) industries. Our programs and certificates cover numerous aspects of the rapidly changing industries of information networking, cybersecurity, data privacy, game development, digital animation and the academic side of esports.