The University of Queensland Selects Tenable to Secure World-Leading IP

Partnership contributes to cybersecurity scholarship for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students

The University of Queensland (UQ), ranked in the top 50 universities globally, has chosen Tenable®, Inc. as its Cyber Exposure solutions provider to see, predict and act to reduce cyber risk across its domestic campuses. The deployment was a result of Tenable’s strategic partnership with Baidam Solutions, an Indigenous-owned, Supply Nation Certified ICT Consultancy. 

2020 saw a significant increase in cyberattacks against Australian universities, with foreign actors and cybercriminals attracted to valuable research and sensitive personal information combined with the poor state of many universities’ cyber defences. Recognising this, UQ selected Tenable.io®, for vulnerability management in the cloud, to upgrade the security of its network and protect its 7,000 staff, 55,000 students and intellectual property (IP). 

“To secure world-leading research from The University of Queensland, our security team must manage a complex environment made up of tens of thousands of personal devices, vendor partnerships and connections to remote teams and other institutions. Our priority, therefore, was finding and fixing vulnerabilities across this expansive attack surface that posed the greatest risk to our mission. We chose Tenable.io because it is the clear market leader in risk-based vulnerability management,” said Dr. David Stockdale, Deputy Director of Information Technology Services, University of Queensland.

Prior to Tenable.io, UQ had to perform manual and time-consuming scans. Doing so was a full-time job for one team member and proved to be an inefficient use of time. With Tenable.io, the university has automated the discovery of vulnerabilities, enabling the team to focus on the most critical risk and work with senior management on more strategic priorities.

“Like all education institutions, The University of Queensland had to quickly adopt remote learning technologies and processes last year. Thankfully, the deployment of Tenable.io is giving us a massive step up in capability to keep our network secure. New vulnerabilities are disclosed every day but we now have a solution in place that can future-proof the university’s security program for the threats of today and tomorrow,” said Dr. Stockdale.

Improving diversity in the Australian cybersecurity market

The partnership doesn’t stop there. Tenable, Baidam Solutions and The University of Queensland recognise the importance of making Australia’s cybersecurity workforce more diverse and inclusive for Indigenous peoples.

Through revenues generated from the Tenable partnership, Baidam Solutions, an Indigenous owned, Supply Nation Certified cyber security consultancy, has established a perpetual cybersecurity scholarship for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at The University of Queensland. The scholarship will introduce new talent with diverse backgrounds into the cybersecurity sector to combat today’s most pressing security challenges. 

“Empowering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to become cybersecurity professionals will raise the overall standards of security within organisations because it means that a diverse range of views and skills can be applied to address cyber issues. The University of Queensland scholarship is a landmark programme that helps ensure increased diversity of thought, background and experience which ultimately benefits the entire industry,” Phillip Jenkinson, CEO, Baidam Solutions

“Universities play a critical role in Australian society and the economy. They equip young people with the knowledge and skills to make the world a better place to live. We’re excited to be working with Baidam Solutions to not only secure the University of Queensland’s infrastructure but also foster a more diverse and inclusive cybersecurity workforce through the scholarship programme,” said Scott McKinnel, Country Manager ANZ, Tenable.

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About Tenable

Tenable®, Inc. is the Cyber Exposure company. Over 30,000 organisations around the globe rely on Tenable to understand and reduce cyber risk. As the creator of Nessus®, Tenable extended its expertise in vulnerabilities to deliver the world’s first platform to see and secure any digital asset on any computing platform. Tenable customers include more than 50 per cent of the Fortune 500, more than 30 per cent of the Global 2000 and large government agencies. Learn more at www.tenable.com.

Media contact

Pamela Philip, Tenable
+61-478-701-734
[email protected]