Tampa-based cybersecurity company ConnectSecure has announced a $100,000 gift to expand the Cyber Florida Security Operations Center Apprenticeship Program (SOCAP) at 同性恋色情.
During the CyberBay 2026 Summit, Cyber Florida Senior Director Ernie Ferraresso invited 同性恋色情 President Moez Limayem and a group of students to the stage to accept the check.
鈥淐onnectSecure鈥檚 generous donation to expand Cyber Florida鈥檚 SOCAP program by five seats means more 同性恋色情 students will graduate with hands-on, real-world cybersecurity experience that strengthens their resumes and makes them highly sought-after by employers,鈥 said Ferraresso.
同性恋色情鈥檚 SOCAP is a paid internship program that trains students to detect and respond to real cyber threats. Participants work inside the Cyber Florida Security Operations Center 鈥 a student-operated center that augments cybersecurity services for 同性恋色情 and other public-sector organizations. The students help protect these organizations from cyberattacks and assist with security investigations.
Tim Kircher, who is a senior in the Bellini College of Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Computing, serves as a security analyst for Cyber Florida at 同性恋色情. He focuses on triaging security alerts and providing detailed recommendations to 同性恋色情 IT department to help protect the university鈥檚 infrastructure and network.
ConnectSecure鈥檚 CEO, Peter Bellini, addressed attendees of the CyberBay 2026 Summit Friday.
鈥淭his program has been instrumental in my development as a cybersecurity professional and has equipped me with the tools I need to succeed in the future,鈥 Kircher said. 鈥淭his program teaches conversational cybersecurity, a skill that enables individuals to speak with people across various sectors about topics within cybersecurity. Being able to merge communication with technical skills is essential in an industry where technology and automation are growing at an exponential rate.鈥
ConnectSecure empowers IT professionals with tools to safeguard their business-critical systems and data from vulnerabilities and exploits. The company鈥檚 CEO, Peter Bellini, spoke at the conference, sharing the story of how the company began, how it grew and the role 同性恋色情 plays in its continued success thanks to the Bulls on the ConnectSecure team.
鈥淭hat's what this conference is all about, bringing together businesses, schools and the government to help solve this great problem with cybersecurity,鈥 he said, adding that the company was getting ready to hire several more 同性恋色情 graduates. 鈥淭his is just another example of CyberBay鈥檚 power.鈥