An emerging field, a brand new lab: ICAM dedication on Mar 11

A dedication ceremony for Capitol Technology University's newest lab will be held this spring, formally launching operations at this innovative resource.

The Identity, Credentialing and Access Management (ICAM) Laboratory is a place where students can build their skills and make the most of the rapidly developing convergence between physical and cyber security. It provides students with opportunities for  to receive hands-on training in line with the Federal Identity Credentialling and Access Management construct as well as private industry standards.

As a result, they'll be well-positioned for employment opportunities across a spectrum of fields, including acquistion management, information assurance and physical security.

Overlap among these fields is increasing and professionals are finding they need to acquire new expertise to remain competitive. Currently, few schools offer resources and programs that can help, for instance, a physical security specialist make the transition to cyber.

Capitol is one school that does have the programs and resources, and the ICAM Lab is an example.

The dedication ceremony will take place on March 11 from 11 am to 1 pm at the McGowan Center (second floor) on campus. Featured speakers include Capitol president Michael T. Wood, Vice President for Academic Affaiirs Vic Maconachy, Academic Dean Helen G. Barker, and student interns from Flowers High School.

The lab is backed by a wide range of coroporate sponsors, including Aralia, Axis Communications,Condor Tech Services,  the DRM Institute, Open Security Exchange, Paxton, Quantum Secure, 3M, SIA, Viscount Systems and Waverly Labs.

"Access controls are the very heart and soul of any security program," said Maconachy. "By introducing the ICAM lab into the Capitol Technology University academic environments, students will have a unique, hands-on opportunity to evaluate and improve state-of-the-techniques in this ever-emerging field."

"It's quite a breakthrough and an honor to be working with these companies," he said of the lab sponsors.

Capitol senior and Department of Defense intern Olivia Briscoe is the lab manager. Its director is Ron Martin, a Capitol professor and owner of the business strategy consulting firm Consullition. Martin serves on the advisory boards of Wavery Labs and as executive director of the Open Security Exchange. In his role as a committee member at ASIS, the physical security industry's trade association, Martin has been working to get the word out about Capitol's programs.

“Capitol is one of the best-kept secrets in the Beltway region," Martin said. "There’s a whole industry out there, with personnel hungry to learn more about cybersecurity, and Capitol has the expertise and the resources to meet that need.”

All Capitol alumni are invited to attend the March 11 dedication ceremony and tour the ICAM Lab. For more information, contact Robert Herschbach, director of communications, at rherschbach@captechu.edu.

NOTE: An earlier version of this blog post listed the event date as Jan. 22. The event has been rescheduled for March 11.