OSU-OKC Professor Selected as CompTIA Cybersecurity Exam Subject Matter Expert

Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City (OSU-OKC) adjunct professor Allan Abrams was recently selected as a subject matter expert (SME) to review a new CompTIA Cybersecurity Exam. He calls the experience a very tough, but rewarding one.

CompTIA, the Computer Technology Industry Association, is a nonprofit trade association that issues professional certification for the Information Technology industry. Abrams helped develop the CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner exam, which is the certification for cybersecurity practitioners who have advanced skills to troubleshoot hacks and intrusions into organizations networks.

Abrams was presented the opportunity through OSU-OKC Information Systems & Technologies professor Kemit Grafton who attends CompTIA conferences to better align the university’s curriculum with industry-recognized and accepted certification. To be an SME, participants are required to have 10 years of experience in the information security field, with hands-on engineering skills along with experience in a variety of business verticals.

Abrams has been a cybersecurity adjunct instructor on campus for over three years. An alumnus of OSU-OKC, he earned his associate degree in Information Technology with a networking emphasis. He currently teaches Principles of Information Security, which prepares students for the CompTIA Security+ exam, and Network Security for IT, which prepares students to work in a variety of cybersecurity roles.

“I enjoy the opportunity to provide students with material that can help them in the same way my instructors did for me,” Abrams said. “I appreciate the idea of giving students meaningful skills that directly translate to the job market with the hopes they will one day enjoy the same, if not more, success than I have.”

Through the process of developing the CompTIA exam, Abrams was able to make a lot of connections. He hopes to work with the organization again in the near future.