How SkillStorm Increased Cyber Trained Resources Tenfold in 5 Months For F500

Summary

A Fortune 500 multinational professional services company aimed to create sustainable, inclusive economic growth for its clients and communities. However, to fulfill the economic growth needs of their clients, this integrator was in dire need of specialist resources that were certified and could start work immediately and require no additional training within 5 months, including recruiting and training.

It was impossible to develop these resources internally within their project and time constraints. The learning curve for the tools they needed was enormous, and managers could not afford to spend 6-12 months of internal time training candidates in these roles. This is where SkillStorm’s Emerging Tech Talent program came in. This atypical solution takes recent college graduates and upskills them according to the client's needs within an 8-12 week training intensive. Within 20 weeks, SkillStorm produced two cohorts totaling 50 custom-built Cyber analysts. In this case study, we will explain the details of the project, our approach to delivering resources who are ready to work on day one, the required technologies, and our results.

Project Scope

Following an extremely successful 5-resource pilot, the client requested 50 new Cyber Technologists to be delivered within 20 weeks. To pull this off, we had to execute an extremely structured training program with custom curricula that perfectly aligned with the client’s needs. We staggered two cohorts across the 20 weeks to meet the multiple job requirements and delivered all resources on time.

• SkillStorm sparked the integrator’s interest with 5 preliminary resources by repurposing Java Developers and training them in the basics of Cyber.
  
  

• SkillStorm created a much more complex 12-week project-based, customized lab environment with a core curriculum specifically for this firm’s project needs with a 30-person cohort. They specialized in IAM, SIEM, and Threat Resiliency.
  
  

• In Round 2, we focused on delivering 20 resources tailored to a SOC/Network Analyst role in 8 weeks.
  
  

Technologies

Our accelerated tech programs at SkillStorm are so precisely catered to the requirements of our clients that our Stormers start contributing value right away. We arranged weekly meetings with leading project managers from this F500 firm to continually collaborate and mold our candidates to the exact Cyber requirements the firm was looking for. The following tailored programs, which launched in Q1 2022, were designed by SkillStorm based on the tech requirements of the firm project managers.

In Round 1, we developed three specialist roles in a 12-week program, delivering 30 resources specializing in IAM, SIEM, and Threat Resiliency.

• IAM: Azure, Azure Active Directory, AD Connect, FIDO2, SSO
• SIEM: Splunk, SOAR
• Threat Resiliency: Crowdstrike, Tanium

In Round 2, we developed one specialist role in an 8-week program, delivering 20 resources specializing as SOC/Network Analysts.

• SOC/Network Analyst: Oracle Cloud, NDR, IDS/IPS, WAF, BurpSuite, Splunk, ForcePoint DLP, EDR with Crowdstrike, Network Security and Zscaler

Our Approach

Clarifying Job Requirements
Before scoping the project, we clarified expectations with our client. SkillStorm always collaborates extensively with our clients to ensure we will provide the exact specifications and resources needed. We want to ensure the right technical engineers are developing and teaching an exactly tailored curriculum, with the twofold goal of taking care of our client’s most pressing needs while also preparing our Stormers for the most demanding parts of their next job requirements.

We specifically asked what the firm’s job requirements were to customize the curriculum to tailor the talent to the job. We asked, What jobs are you looking at? What roles do you need to fill in your projects? What is the skills gap? When do you need these spots filled? How many candidates are needed to specialize in each role? In this situation, the firm had an immediate need for resources trained in Splunk and SOAR (SIEM) and two different cloud hosting platforms, Azure and Oracle.

With this information, our engineers designed training curricula specifically for the precise stack each project needed. Once approved, we could start building and establishing a specific curriculum and lab environment tailored to the firm’s project needs immediately.

Recruiting and Training

While this F500 company usually takes 6-12 months to train college graduates internally, SkillStorm offers a faster and more effective approach. To supply resources with the equivalent of two years of experience in 20 weeks, SkillStorm leverages the unique Emerging Tech Talent program, which sources domestic talent from mid-tier universities and certifies them quickly in cutting-edge tech.

• Recruiting - We had a narrow recruiting window. SkillStorm started screening applicants as soon as the contract was executed. Instead of sourcing from the traditional recruiting channels, our in-house industry experts searched for top-tier STEM graduates from mid-tier colleges and veterans associations. Our Stormers had the foundational training required for the job and were eager to undertake a demanding 12-week training program.
  
  
• Training - Our best-in-class engineers immediately began constructing and solidifying a custom Cyber curriculum and lab environment. The instructor-led, project-based training uses real-world circumstances to prepare our Stormers to begin work on day one. Our training is fast-paced and difficult. The Stormers who progress to client placement are the best of the best.

Screening and Vetting

SkillStorm has the most rigorous screening processes in the industry for technical and professional talent. Our time-tested methods and proven screening process help us identify exceptional talent with the technical aptitude, soft skills, and key attributes to thrive in our client's workplaces. Our interviewers screen for potential Stormers who have the technical and soft skills required to handle the intense workload of our accelerated tech training programs and ultimately succeed on the job for our clients.

We regularly evaluate the understanding of our training cohorts. This entails resource verification, screening, and the removal of low-performing resources. We are confident in our thorough resource training and provide our clients the option to return any resources after delivery.

Results

All Stormers were successfully deployed and were completely billable on day one. Because our project was on-time and our resources were well-skilled, our client was able to keep project deadlines and fulfill their obligations to their customers.

What Makes Our Stormers Different?

In order to be deployed as billable resources, our Stormers have been vetted in both technical and soft skills, taught by our expert trainers, solved real-world problems, advanced beyond internal interviews, and successfully completed their certifications.

Our US-based Stormers are hard workers, college graduates with 4-year degrees, and fully upskilled to meet the exact requirements of our clients.