TekStream and LSU to Showcase Student-Led Cybersecurity Model at Cisco Live 2026
Session highlights statewide cybersecurity collaboration, workforce development and AI-era security operations
TekStream, the digital resilience leader helping organizations modernize, secure and optimize their digital environments, and Louisiana State University (LSU) will present a joint session at Cisco Live! 2026, showcasing their student-powered Security Operations Center (SOC) model. The session, “Student Powered Security: Louisiana State University’s SOC with TekStream and Splunk,” will take place June 2, 2026, at Cisco Live! in Las Vegas.
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Presented by LSU CIO Craig Woolley, TekStream Managing Director Matt Clemmons, and Cisco Systems’ CCIE Sid Nguyen, the session will explore how LSU, TekStream, and industry partners are collaborating to build a scalable, statewide cybersecurity framework that integrates managed detection and response (MDR), workforce development, and shared threat intelligence.
“Our goal was to build a collaborative cybersecurity model that strengthens protection across our campuses without incurring additional costs, and that can benefit students,” said Craig Woolley. “By combining student talent, professional oversight and shared infrastructure, we’ve improved our cyber resilience while preparing our students for high-demand cybersecurity careers.”
The student-powered SOC is designed to improve cybersecurity posture, reduce operational costs, and provide students with real-world SOC experience, all while supporting 24×7 security operations. The program offers hands-on experience operating in enterprise-grade security environments, using live workflows, runbooks, and security technologies under professional oversight. It also includes structured onboarding, MDR training, mentoring, and cybersecurity career placement support. Currently, the student-powered SOC program has a 100% job placement rate for graduates.
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“This model is about more than staffing a SOC,” said Matt Clemmons. “It’s about helping institutions build sustainable cybersecurity capabilities, accelerate operational maturity, and prepare students for the modern workforce. Higher education has a unique opportunity to rethink how security operations and talent development align, and LSU is among the institutions setting the example.”
The presentation will detail LSU’s Whole-of-State cybersecurity vision, which leverages Louisiana Optical Network Infrastructure (LONI) connectivity, collaborative security operations, and a shared threat-detection ecosystem to improve threat response across participating institutions. The session also addresses the rapidly evolving cybersecurity threat landscape, in which autonomous AI systems are accelerating attack timelines and reshaping how organizations approach cyber defense, detection engineering, and incident response.
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