Alumni Spotlight: Janice DeLoach

My Career: 

I am the Associate Director of IT Customer Experience for the Summerville campus at Augusta University. I am also an adjunct instructor for the School of Computer & Cyber Sciences teaching an Ethics in Computer Science course. In my role with the Division of Information Technology, I enjoy helping our faculty and students learn how to utilize the technology available to them and enrich the classroom experience. As an instructor, I get to share the knowledge I have learned from my classes and my experience from over 15 years working in the technology industry with future students.

Why did you choose your MS ISM program? 

There has been a shift in the culture of believing that only security professionals have responsibility for an organization’s information security. Many businesses believe that all employees play an active role in the security of their information. In my role as an Associate Director in the University IT Customer Experience team at Augusta University, I feel that it is my responsibility to help educate our customers on this topic. By completing the MS ISM program, I was able to gain a better understanding of the in depth concepts required to manage in an information security environment. I use the concepts learned in class to help my customers understand why it is important to keep their password a secret, why we use multi-factor authentication, and why we never click on links or attachments in suspicious emails!  

Why did you choose AU?  

I completed my undergraduate degree at Augusta University. So, I was excited about the opportunity to continue my education here. I work on campus every day and see how faculty take time to build relationships with students and encourage them to push themselves. I have working relationships with many of these faculty. I respect the work they do and knew that I would learn a lot by taking classes with them.

Favorite AU Memory: 

It’s not so much a memory, but more of a feeling. I remember that “light bulb clicking on” moment the first time I realized how the information I was learning in my undergraduate classes directly applied to my job. I had that feeling again while I was taking the MS ISM courses. If you truly apply yourself and are open to learning knew things, the knowledge you gain from these classes can be integrated into your work environment and provide opportunities for new doors to open for you.