Ryan Fried, a senior in MIS, received an Information Security Scholarship from (ISC)² Foundation. Scholarship recipients were announced on September 11, 2012. This year, Ryan is one of only seven recipients of the Undergraduate Scholarship, which was open for applications worldwide.

When asked why he is interested in Information Security, Ryan said: “I enjoy the challenge of staying one step ahead of hackers and discovering vulnerabilities before they do. For the future, I plan on working as a consultant or in a technology leadership rotational program to further my knowledge of information technology.”

(ISC)² (‘ISC-squared’) is the largest not-for-profit membership body of certified information security professionals worldwide, with over 86,000 members in more than 135 countries. Globally recognized as the Gold Standard, (ISC)² issues the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP^®) and related credentials. The (ISC)² Foundation is a non-profit charitable trust that aims to make the cyber world safer for everyone by supporting cyber security education and awareness in the community through its programs and the efforts of its members.

In Fall 2011, students from the University Of Connecticut School of Business participated in an opportunity to compete for a $500 scholarship sponsored by the Greater Hartford Chapter of ISACA. ISACA is a leading independent, nonprofit, global association for the promotion of information, guidance and certifications in the field of auditing security controls for computer systems. The competition was held in conjunction with the undergraduate elective course IT Security, Governance, and Audit, offered by Professor Dmitry Zhdanov of the Department of Operations and Information Management (OPIM).

Student presentations were evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Relevance of the presentation to the audit and risk management profession
• The extent of the student’s work including depth of research, ability to communicate and synthesize the materials, approach taken and completeness of the subject matter
• Delivery of the presentation.

This year’s award was presented to Walid Namane (pictured), a junior in Management Information Systems (MIS).  His project presentation covered the topic of Social Media Security Controls in Business Settings. The Chapter also offered two other participants – Sean Hecht (MIS senior, report on Voice over IP Security) and Rich Sciretta (Accounting senior, report on SSAE-16 standard) – an annual membership in ISACA.

The awards were presented and their achievements celebrated at a February 8, 2012 chapter meeting.

ISACA is a leading non-profit global provider of knowledge, certifications, and education on information systems (IS) assurance and security, enterprise governance and management of IT, and IT-related risk and compliance.  ISACA hosts international conferences, publishes the ISACA Journal, and develops international IS auditing and control standards, which help its constituents ensure trust in, and value from, information systems. ISACA also advances and attests IT skills and knowledge through the globally respected Certified Information Systems Auditor™ (CISA®), Certified Information Security Manager® (CISM®), Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT® (CGEIT®) and Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control™ (CRISC™) designations.

From 1978, the Greater Hartford Chapter of ISACA has promoted the professional education and development of its members in the field of technology auditing and risk management.  For more information, visit

The Department of Operations and Information Management (OPIM), which offers the highly acclaimed Management Information Systems (MIS) undergraduate program, is consistently ranked in the top 25 in information systems graduate education (US News) and among the most productive and impactful research departments in the world (OR/MS Today, Communications of the ACM, Communications of the AIS, and AISNET). For more information, visit http://www.business.uconn.edu/opim/