Defense Optional in NBA All-Star Games, Vital in Real Life

In these turbulent times, a company without well trained security professionals is like the 2017 NBA All-Star Game — an onslaught of attackers and zero defense.

For the third year in a row, the NBA All-Star game broke a large number of offensive records. The total amount of points scored between the two teams was 384 (East 182, West 192). A record 162 field goals were made — most of them dunks. There were also records in total assists (103), most assists by one team (West 60), most total points in a quarter (101 in the first quarter), most shots made and attempted by a player (Anthony Davis went 26-39), and the most points scored by an individual player, with game MVP Anthony Davis scoring 52.

"All-Star is about offense and giving the crowd a show, but if they want to see a little more defense as fans and everything — I mean, nobody wants to go out here and get hurt," said Davis, the game's MVP. "It's all about fun ... I didn't play any defense."

Despite the fans having a fairly negative reaction — desiring a more hard fought game between the world’s best — the NBA All-Star Game is not going anywhere. This cannot be said about your company if it, too, lacks any defense. Recent examples of firms getting snowed under by the aforementioned onslaught of attackers include Sony, Verizon and Yahoo! (to name a few).

Cybersecurity within an organization is becoming more important by the day. One cyber-attack on a small company can be crippling. This is why well-trained cybersecurity professionals are so important — and employable.

An article written last week by Kelly Sheridan of InformationWeek's DarkReading blog rattles off 8 valuable security certifications for 2017.On Sheridan’s list is the CompTIA Security+ certification. Sheridan describes this certification as a good cert for entry-level security professionals, providing a solid overview of key concepts in the security field.

"CompTIA Security+ covers network security, compliance and operation security, threats and vulnerabilities, and application, data and host security. It also includes access control, identity management, and cryptography," she writes.

Get started down your cybersecurity path today, by taking advantage of TestOut’s experience-based Security+ training. Become your future company’s defense, and protect it from a record breaking cyber-attack.

About the Author — Jake Slater is the social media manager for GoCertify and a graduate of Brigham Young University. Defenders frequently choose to "pull a Steph Curry" when Jake is about to throw down a nasty jam in transition.