National Security Agency Certifies Network Security Program at the University of Advancing Technology in Arizona

The network security program at the University of Advancing Technology (UAT) has been certified by the United States National Security Agency's (NSA) Information Assurance Courseware Evaluation (IACE) program.

The network security program, which is part of UAT's College of Software Engineering, is the first of its kind in Arizona to be thus recognized. Other colleges which have achieved the same information assurance training standards include Boston University, Johns Hopkins University and the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

UAT's official certification is the "4011 CNSS National Standard for Information Systems Security (INFOSEC) Professionals" and "4013 National Standard for System Administrators in Information Systems Security (INFOSEC)." These are two of the five areas certified by the NSA. These certifications are part of a longer process by which UAT will achieve designation as a Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Information Assurance Education. The NSA currently lists only a few dozen colleges as having achieved this status.

According to Sherry Borror of the NSA's National Information Assurance Education and Training Program, the IACE program "provides consistency in training and education for the information assurance skills that are so critical to our nation."
To attain the 4011 CNSS certification, UAT met 250 criteria in the categories of communications, automated information systems, security, system operating environment, National Security Telecommunications and Information Systems Security (NSTISS) planning and management, and NSTISS policies and procedures.

To obtain the 4013 CNSS certification, UAT met 196 criteria in the categories of countermeasures, risk management, policies and administration, safeguards, tools, management, continuity of operations, configuration management and platform-specific security features.

Students who complete a series of 13 courses including Network Defense and Countermeasures and Disaster Recovery and Backup will receive a certificate noting that they have completed a program that adheres to national training standards.

UAT will receive its recognition and a certificate in spring 2005 at the annual Committee on national security systems (CNSS) Annual Conference. The certification is valid for three years.