December 2024 Edition Hayyy Splunk Education Enthusiasts and the Eternally Curious!  We’re back with another edition of indexEducation. Oh, but this month we’ve got a fun holiday edition. It’s our way of wrapping up the year and sharing our thanks to you for being the best community of users and learners on the planet. Until next year, we leave you with this Splunky rendition of an old holiday classic. The 12 Days of Splunk-mas   On the first day of Splunk-mas, my true love gave to me   ~ A Catalog of Splunk Classes for Free ~ Learn anywhere, anytime – for free   **************************   On the second day of Splunk-mas, my true love gave to me  ~ Two Ways to Learn it ~ Instructor-led and self-paced classes **************************   On the third day of Splunk-mas, my true love gave to me ~ Three Class Champions ~  Get to know our course instructors **************************   On the fourth day of Splunk-mas, my true love gave to me ~ Four Smartness Stories ~ Read interviews with inspiring Splunk users **************************   On the fifth day of Splunk-mas, my true love gave to me ~ Five Golden Badges ~ Validate your expertise with Splunk Certification badges **************************   On the sixth day of Splunk-mas, my true love gave to me ~ Six Ways It’s Proven~ Discover how proficiency in Splunk has career benefits **************************   On the seventh day of Splunk-mas, my true love gave to me ~ Seven Experts Sharing ~   Discover use cases, product tips, and expert guidance on Splunk Lantern **************************   On the eighth day of Splunk-mas, my true love gave to me: ~ Eight Labs a-Launching ~   Enroll in instructor-led and self-paced courses with hands-on labs **************************   On the ninth day of Splunk-mas, my true love gave to me ~ Nine Sophomores SOC’ing ~      Splunk Academic Alliance is preparing the next generation through university training **************************   On the tenth day of Splunk-mas, my true love gave to me ~ Ten ALPs a Teaching ~  Authorized Learning Partners (ALPs) across the globe provide localized learning **************************   On the eleventh day of Splunk-mas, my true love gave to me ~  Eleven Courses Releasing ~ Enroll in a new course today  **************************   On the twelfth day of Splunk-mas, my true love gave to me ~ Twelve Hands-a-Keying ~ Attend Splunk .conf25 to get hands-on-keyboard learning **************************   Thanks for sharing a few minutes of your day with us and this special holiday edition of the indexEducation newsletter. See you next year!   Answer to Index This: A Splunky rendition of a traditional holiday classic. ... View more

We love our Splunk Community and want you to feel inspired by all your hard work! Eric Fusilero, our VP of Global Education, just dropped a great blog post that showcases the power of habits, learning, and community. Drawing from personal experiences – cue swimming progress – Eric connects the dots between building strong habits and achieving career success. He shines a spotlight on the 2024 Splunk Career Impact Report, which is packed with insights from nearly 500 Splunk users across the globe. TLDR: Splunk learners who invest in certifications and skill-building are absolutely thriving. What’s in the Report? Career Wins Galore! The 2024 Splunk Career Impact Report highlights how our community is crushing it—whether it’s earning 14% higher pay on average or snagging double the promotions compared to last year. Eric’s blog breaks it down, showing how Splunk Certifications are more than just badges—they’re game-changers. Certified users, especially early in their careers, are seeing massive salary bumps, with younger professionals earning up to 52% more than their non-certified peers.   Why You Should Read Eric’s Blog Right Now This isn’t just about stats; it’s about celebrating you. Eric highlights how the Splunk community’s feedback helped shape this report, and he shares why continuous learning is the secret sauce to staying ahead in tech. From hands-on labs to our buzzing online forums, Splunk Education offers something for everyone looking to level up. So, what are you waiting for? Dive into Eric’s blog and see how building great habits with Splunk can take your career to the next level! 👉 Read Eric’s blog here 👉 Check out the full 2024 Splunk Career Impact Report Happy learning! -Callie Skokos on behalf of the entire Splunk Education Crew ... View more

November 2024 Edition Hayyy Splunk Education Enthusiasts and the Eternally Curious!  We’re back with this month’s edition of indexEducation, the newsletter that takes an untraditional twist on what’s new with Splunk Education. We hope the updates about our courses, certification program, and self-paced training will feed your obsession to learn, grow, and advance your careers. Let’s get started with an index for maximum performance readability: Training You Gotta Take | Things You Needa Know | Places You’ll Wanna Go  Training You Gotta Take SOC Essentials  | It’ll knock your socks off Crew, ankle, no-show, athletic, and compression. These are all sock essentials for your feet. But, now Splunk offers SOC Essentials: Investigating and Threat Hunting – a course for your brain. Part of the Blue Team Academy, this instructor-led training is designed to tackle the industry skills gap head-on. You’ll learn how to conduct investigations using Splunk Enterprise Security, master Risk-Based Alerting, and practice key tasks with Splunk SOAR. Plus, you’ll work with the PEAK Threat Hunting framework and put your knowledge to the test with a hypothesis-driven threat-hunting exercise.  Gotta get to class |  SOC(k)-wearing optional Training on the ‘tube | Enterprise Security 8.0  Ready to transform your SOC workflow skills? Pop over to the Splunk Education How-To YouTube channel and press play for training on Splunk Enterprise Security 8.0. This latest release revolutionizes threat detection, investigation, and response (TDIR) with features like seamless case management and integrated automation through Splunk SOAR. You’ll learn all about Splunk Mission Control, new detection types, detection versioning, and enhanced case management updates. Alex is waiting to walk you through the latest, so don’t leave her hanging.  Gotta learn on YouTube | The new release of Enterprise Security Things You Needa Know There’s an app for that | Start with Lantern Account takeovers, wire fraud, credit card fraud, oh my! It’s scary out there for Financial Services companies, which is why you’ve got Splunk. But because there are so many places for the bad guys to lurk, we’ve got guidance for using Splunk for dozens of use cases – starting with our updated Use Case Explorer specifically for Financial Services. The Use Case Explorer is a great tool to help you implement new use cases using either Splunk Enterprise or Splunk Cloud Platform, plus there’s also a new deployment guide for using the Splunk App for Fraud Analytics. Lantern is forcing the bad guys out of the dark – one guide at a time!    Needa know the use cases | Read on Lantern The case for academics | Splunk training in universities Ever wonder where the next generation of cybersecurity professionals is coming from? Well, wonder no more. Thanks to the Splunk Academic Alliance Program, we’re training tomorrow’s talent at universities like the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Louisiana State University. With classroom curriculum at the foundation, these students are getting hands-on experience in real-world security operations – and on Security Operations Center (SOC) teams. It’s a win-win: students get the skills they need, and organizations can then use this trained-up talent in their own SOCs.  Needa know about the future | We’ve got two case studies Places You’ll Wanna Go Splunk Education Goes to Washington | Splunk GovSummit 2024 Join us for monumental moments in the nation’s capital on December 11, 2024. Splunk GovSummit in Washington, D.C. is a one-day event packed with learning, insights, and innovation. We bring together public sector leaders and tech experts to explore the latest in observability, cybersecurity, AI adoption, and digital resilience, plus two instructor-led courses— SOC Essentials: Investigating and Threat Hunting and Exploring and Analyzing Data. From the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument, Splunk Education is in the House. (Well, not literally.)  Go to Washington | Register for our two in-person courses  To the classroom | Training tales and testimonials School is always in session with Splunk Education. If you’re curious about what the experience looks like, then check out Splunk Classroom Chronicles. This new series introduces you to our top-notch instructors and course developers, and highlights stories and feedback from our learners. With today’s fast-paced work environment, continuous professional development is key, and Splunk Education offers engaging, interactive training to keep you one step ahead of the bad guys. From hands-on labs to expert-led sessions, grab a virtual seat and put those thinking caps on. Go to the head of the class | Read the tales Find Your Way | Learning Bits and Breadcrumbs Go Chat | Join our Community User Group Slack Channel Go Stream It  | The Latest Course Releases (Some with Non-English Captions!) Go Last Minute | Seats Still Available for ILT Go to Lantern | For Financial Services Use Cases Go to STEP | Get Upskilled Go Discuss Stuff | Join the Community Go Social | LinkedIn for News Go Index It | Subscribe to our Newsletter   Thanks for sharing a few minutes of your day with us – whether you’re looking to grow your mind, career, or spirit, you can bet your sweet SaaS, we got you. If you think of anything else we may have missed, please reach out to us at indexEducation@splunk.com.    Answer to Index This: 200 ... View more

At Splunk Education, we are committed to providing a robust learning experience for all users, regardless of skill level or learning preference. Whether you’re just starting your journey with Splunk or sharpening advanced skills, our broad range of educational resources ensures you’re prepared for every step.    Our Portfolio We offer Free eLearning to kickstart your learning, eLearning with Labs for hands-on practice, Instructor-led courses for interactive, expert guidance, and Splunk Certifications to validate your expertise. For quick tips and insights, explore our Splunk YouTube How-Tos and Splunk Lantern, where you'll find up-to-date guidance and best practices that reflect the latest in Splunk's capabilities. New Courses Available Every month, we release new courses designed to empower learners with the tools and knowledge they need to stay ahead in the evolving tech landscape. Whether you prefer self-paced eLearning or the structure of live instruction, there’s a course to fit your style. This month, we are excited to announce a new instructor-led course, a new eLearning with Labs course, and three free eLearning courses to help you advance your Splunk skills:   SOC Essentials: Investigating and Threat Hunting – Instructor-led course (Enroll) SOC Essentials: Investigating with Splunk – eLearning with labs (Enroll) Creating Classic Dashboards – Free eLearning (Enroll)  SOC Essentials: Investigating with Splunk – Free eLearning (Enroll)  Administering Splunk Observability Cloud – Free eLearning (Enroll)  These courses provide targeted insights into security operations and observability, essential for anyone looking to enhance their data-driven capabilities. Explore them today to stay ahead in your field! All courses are available through the Splunk Course Catalog, accessible via our banner or directly on our platform. Expanding Global Learning Access  As part of our commitment to accessibility and inclusion, we continue to translate eLearning courses into multiple languages and add non-English captions. This effort ensures that learners worldwide can grow their Splunk expertise in their preferred language, supporting our vision of an inclusive educational ecosystem. Each month presents new opportunities to expand your knowledge, boost your career, and enhance your contributions to enterprise resilience. Stay updated with the latest courses and continue your journey toward Splunk mastery – your next big career move could be just a course away. See you next month!  - Callie Skokos on behalf of the Splunk Education Crew ... View more

Welcome to the "Splunk Classroom Chronicles" series, created to help curious, career-minded learners get acquainted with Splunk Education and our instructor-led classes – and hear what other students are saying about their learning experiences.  In today's dynamic workplace, ongoing professional development is more important than ever, and Splunk is at the forefront of facilitating this growth through comprehensive, interactive online training sessions. Our courses are designed not only to enhance technical skills but also to enrich the overall learning experience. From engaging instructors to hands-on labs, each class is tailored to ensure that participants gain practical knowledge and real-world expertise. Let’s Kick it Off  Join us for Part 1 of our series as we explore the tales and testimonials from those who've experienced Splunk Education instructor-led training first-hand. You’ll meet our course instructors and developers – those who are dedicated to making your learning experience interesting, engaging, and valuable. Our Splunk course developers work to develop the quality curriculum and lab experiences, which is then handed off to our instructors. The end result, we hope, is happy learners with constructive feedback to share about our instructor-led courses. Splunk Enterprise Data Administration Course The 18-hour Splunk Enterprise Data Administration course is designed for administrators who are responsible for getting data into Splunk Indexers. The course provides the fundamental knowledge of Splunk forwarders and methods to get remote data into Splunk indexers. It covers installation, configuration, management, monitoring, and troubleshooting of Splunk forwarders and Splunk Deployment Server components. David Lowe is one of the course instructors and Kevin Stewart is the course developer.  Here’s what one student had to say about David Lowe “I wanted to say how much I’ve enjoyed both of the Splunk Enterprise courses I’ve taken with you over the last few weeks. You kept it engaging which can’t be easy given the volume of topics you need to cover…I feel I’ve learned a lot that I can take back to our Splunk instance so definitely a win. I’d certainly recommend you as an instructor for any of my colleagues looking to take these courses.” Using Splunk Enterprise Security Course Using Splunk Enterprise Security is a 13.5-hour course designed to prepare security practitioners to use Splunk Enterprise Security (ES). In this instructor-led course, students identify and track incidents, analyze security risks, use predictive analytics, and discover threats. Lauri Harris is one of the course instructors and Nicole Bichon is the course developer.  Here’s what one student had to say about Lauri “I had Lauri as a trainer in the Splunk ES course. She was absolutely wonderful… so many of us were impressed with her knowledge. I was brand new to Splunk. The prerequisites were somewhat helpful in the intro of it, but Lauri was awesome at explaining so many other features of it. Even though I feel that so much information was covered in two days, she did an awesome job of touching on everything she could, answering questions and going through the features and labs. [I hope] we have the pleasure of learning more from her again.” Splunk Cloud Administration Course Splunk Cloud Administration course is an 18-hour instructor-led course for administrators new to Splunk Cloud and those wanting to become more experienced in managing Splunk Cloud instances. The course provides administrators with the opportunity to gain the skills, knowledge and best practices for data management and system configuration for data collection and ingestion required in a Splunk Cloud environment to create a productive Splunk SaaS deployment. The hands-on labs provide the opportunity to learn and ask questions on how to manage and maintain the platform, the users and how to effectively get data into Splunk Cloud. Modules include data inputs and forwarder configuration, data management, user accounts, and basic monitoring and problem isolation. Sue Rich is one of the course instructors and Tomer Gurantz and Rob Zylstra are  the course developers.  Here’s what one student had to say about Sue Rich “Thanks so much for the awesome job you did teaching us Splunk Cloud Administration and also Splunk Enterprise and forwarder management knowledge that we can apply to our on-premises footprint as well. You made this week of training fun and easily digestible and we certainly learned a great deal about the Splunk environment we're tasked with supporting from the customer side. Take care and hope we all get to roll with you again in the future.”   Resources and Reminders If we’ve piqued your interest in the value of Splunk Education and you’d like to increase your Splunk knowledge or get started on your journey, here are some useful resources: Course Registration: Ready to take the next step? Register for these or any of our courses here.  Splunk Education: Visit the official Splunk Education website to explore more courses and certification details. Splunk Lantern: Get field-tested guidance on use cases and best practices using Splunk Lantern. Community Insights: Join the Splunk Community to connect with other users and get insights into best practices and troubleshooting. Splunk Certification: Validate your Splunk proficiency with any of our Splunk Certifications. Whether you're a new administrator or a seasoned Splunk veteran, our courses are designed to empower you with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in your role. Stay curious, keep learning, and we look forward to seeing you in one of our upcoming classes! ... View more

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is another premier research institution helping to shape the next generation of cybersecurity professionals through its student-powered SOC program. And, the Splunk Academic Alliance program is a cornerstone for fostering that talent. Through this program, UNLV students, faculty, and IT staff receive no-cost access to Splunk training and certifications, crucial for growing talent today that benefits society tomorrow. The program equips them with a renewable one-year, 10GB license for Splunk software, alongside access to eLearning resources and additional benefits, ensuring equitable access to tools for solving global challenges.   Our latest case study about Splunk and UNLV highlights the hands-on application of this initiative. Not only does the university use Splunk Enterprise Security in its SOC, but the SOC is now student-powered. Jason Griffin, who oversees Splunk Enterprise Security for the campus, is also a professor who teaches graduate-level security data analytics courses using the Splunk Academic Alliance. He integrates the Academic Alliance training directly into his curriculum. Initially optional, this training has now become a fundamental part of his teaching, linking analytics and Splunk in a real-world context that enhances both student learning and campus security. Beyond the classroom, the impact of the Academic Alliance program at UNLV extends to university employees. The cybersecurity team at UNLV is also trained through the program, ensuring that the entire security apparatus is proficient in the latest Splunk technologies. This comprehensive educational approach not only keeps the material fresh for instructors like Professor Griffin but also continually advances the cybersecurity capabilities of the university. Through such initiatives, UNLV is not just a beneficiary of the Splunk Academic Alliance but a vibrant example of its success in action.  For more detailed insights, you can explore the full case study here. ... View more

October 2024 Edition Hayyy Splunk Education Enthusiasts and the Eternally Curious!  We’re back with this month’s edition of indexEducation, the newsletter that takes an untraditional twist on what’s new with Splunk Education. We hope the updates about our courses, certification program, and self-paced training will feed your obsession to learn, grow, and advance your careers. Let’s get started with an index for maximum performance readability: Training You Gotta Take | Things You Needa Know | Places You’ll Wanna Go Training You Gotta Take SOAR like an eagle | Investigating Incidents with Splunk SOAR Ready to elevate your security skills and soar above the rest? Our instructor-led course, Investigating Incidents with Splunk SOAR, will have you flying through security incidents with confidence. In this three-hour course, you’ll learn SOAR concepts, investigations, running actions and playbooks, and managing cases with workflows. Designed for security practitioners, this hands-on course with labs equips you to respond, investigate vulnerabilities, and take action to keep your organization secure. All you need is some basic security operations knowledge, and you're ready to take flight.  Gotta learn to SOAR | Instructor-led with hands-on labs  Learn it blog-style | Splunk Learn  As if instructor-led training, eLearning with labs, free eLearning, Splunk University, Lantern, and YouTube weren’t enough ways to learn, we’ve got one more!  The Splunk Learn blog is another learn-at-your-own-pace-on-your-own-time option for tips, tutorials, and insights about Splunk and using Splunk.  Learn Blogs are a great complement to our Splunk Education curriculum, serving to reinforce what you may have learned in class or a way to test your skills with a new use case.  But please don’t be overwhelmed with all the ways we have your back, just know we come at it like “Yo, different strokes for different folks.”  Gotta learn from stories | Learn blogs Things You Needa Know How to be like Brandon | SMARTNESS Series, Episode 3 Ever listen to a podcast or watch a show where someone’s story totally resonates, and you think, Wow, that could be me? Well, that’s exactly the vibe of our SMARTNESS series. It’s like the career-growth version of “What Now?” with Trevor Noah. In Episode 3, we spotlight Brandon Sternfield. His journey through Splunk training, hands-on learning, and connecting with the incredible Splunk community helped him unlock new career possibilities. If you’re looking for that spark to ignite your own career growth, then you gotta’ meet Brandon. Needa be inspired | Meet Brandon Career moves | Vids and tips about Splunk Education Think of it like TikTok – quick, interesting, but with less dancing! In this short video, you’ll meet the duo of Alex and Ashley. Alex dives into how learning Splunk can fuel your career growth – no matter where you work – while Ashley shares her insider tips on standing out as a top candidate. Whether you're looking to expand your skills or land your next big role, Splunk Education and these expert tips are the perfect moves to help you succeed. Needa hear from experts | Splunk career tips Places You’ll Wanna Go Meet Duke Cyberwalker | A hero’s journey with Splunk We like to say, the lightsaber is to Luke as Splunk is to Duke. Curious yet? Then read Eric Fusilero’s latest blog about the thrilling saga of Duke Cyberwalker, a fresh college grad turned cybersecurity hero. It’s not just a creative and engaging narrative, it's a metaphor for daily professional challenges and growth. Join Duke on his epic adventure and discover how you, too, can transform the mundane into an adventure with Splunk. Go meet a hero | A blog of adventure Splunk YouTube | Short videos. Big impact. Wearing shorts to a red carpet event? Probably not the best look. But Splunk How-To YouTube Shorts? Now that’s always appropriate! We’re excited to announce a new series of bite-sized videos dedicated to helping you ace your Splunk Certification. Whether you’re preparing for the exam or just brushing up on key concepts, these quick, engaging videos give you the tips and tricks you need – in under 60 seconds! So, if you’re ready to level up your skills, check out the Splunk How-To YouTube Shorts and get one step closer to your certification goals. Go get them shorts | Splunk Certification in seconds Find Your Way | Learning Bits and Breadcrumbs Go Chat | Join our Community User Group Slack Channel Go Stream It  | The Latest Course Releases (Some with Non-English Captions!) Go Last Minute | Seats Still Available for ILT Go to Lantern | For Ways to Use Splunk More Efficiently Go to STEP | Get Upskilled Go Discuss Stuff | Join the Community Go Social | LinkedIn for News Go Index It | Subscribe to our Newsletter Thanks for sharing a few minutes of your day with us – whether you’re looking to grow your mind, career, or spirit, you can bet your sweet SaaS, we got you. If you think of anything else we may have missed, please reach out to us at indexEducation@splunk.com.    Answer to Index This:  44 + 4/4 = 45 ... View more

If you’re in the Washington, D.C. area, this is your opportunity to take your career and Splunk skills to the next level by attending Splunk GovSummit on December 11, 2024. Register today!   Insights, Innovation, and Resilience This one-day event offers public sector tech leaders a platform to exchange ideas and best practices to tackle evolving threats, drive innovation, and improve services for residents. The event will cover the latest trends in observability and cybersecurity, focusing on challenges like safeguarding critical systems, adopting AI responsibly, and meeting compliance standards. Attendees will gain insights from government and industry experts on building digital resilience to achieve mission success. Bonus! Two Hands-On Training Courses Just for You  Splunk Education-experienced trainers will be onsite to teach two 7-hour technical workshops, perfect for anyone in the area who wants to sharpen their skills.    SOC Essentials: Investigating and Threat Hunting   A beginner-to-intermediate course where participants will learn to analyze events and hunt threats like a pro. Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM  Price: $900 or 90 Training Units     Exploring and Analyzing Data with Splunk An intermediate-to-advanced course that dives deep into business insights, data analysis, and custom visualizations.  Time: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM  Price: $900 or 90 Training Units     Register today! Secure your spot and register today to enhance your skills and make meaningful connections at Splunk GovSummit 2024.       See you in class at Splunk GovSummit, Washington, D.C.    – Callie Skokos on behalf of the Splunk Education Crew ... View more

Louisiana State University (LSU) is shaping the next generation of cybersecurity professionals through its student-powered SOC program, made possible by the Splunk Academic Alliance program. This initiative not only provides hands-on experience with Splunk tools but also protects 18 higher education institutions across Louisiana, with plans to expand to 38 by 2025. Students gain up to 1,000 hours of real-world security operations experience each year, working side-by-side with TekStream experts to manage incidents and enhance statewide security.     For the Splunk community, this story highlights how the Academic Alliance program is actively preparing students to become the skilled professionals you’ll soon collaborate with in the workforce. Through exposure to Splunk Enterprise Security and SOAR platforms, these students are learning the tools and techniques essential to their future roles—giving them a head start as they enter the job market.  Read the full case study to explore how this program is laying the foundation for a more secure future, driven by the talent you’ll be working with tomorrow. ... View more

At Splunk Education, we are committed to providing a robust learning experience for all users, regardless of skill level or learning preference. Whether you’re just starting your journey with Splunk or sharpening advanced skills, our broad range of educational resources ensures you’re prepared for every step.  Our Portfolio We offer Free eLearning to kickstart your learning, eLearning with Labs for hands-on practice, Instructor-led courses for interactive, expert guidance, and Splunk Certifications to validate your expertise. For quick tips and insights, explore our Splunk YouTube How-Tos and Splunk Lantern, where you'll find up-to-date guidance and best practices that reflect the latest in Splunk's capabilities. New Courses Available Every month, we release new courses designed to empower learners with the tools and knowledge they need to stay ahead in the evolving tech landscape. Whether you prefer self-paced eLearning or the structure of live instruction, there’s a course to fit your style. This month, we are excited to announce three new courses to help you advance your Splunk skills: SOC Essentials: Investigating with Splunk – eLearning with labs SOC Essentials: Investigating with Splunk – Free eLearning Administering Splunk Observability Cloud – Free eLearning These courses provide targeted insights into security operations and observability, essential for anyone looking to enhance their data-driven capabilities. Explore them today to stay ahead in your field! All courses are available through the Splunk Course Catalog, accessible via our banner or directly on our platform.   Expanding Global Learning Access  As part of our commitment to accessibility and inclusion, we continue to translate eLearning courses into multiple languages and add non-English captions. This effort ensures that learners worldwide can grow their Splunk expertise in their preferred language, supporting our vision of an inclusive educational ecosystem. Each month presents new opportunities to expand your knowledge, boost your career, and enhance your contributions to enterprise resilience. Stay updated with the latest courses and continue your journey toward Splunk mastery – your next big career move could be just a course away. See you next month!  - Callie Skokos on behalf of the Splunk Education Crew ... View more

We like to say, the lightsaber is to Luke as Splunk is to Duke. Curious yet? Then read Eric Fusilero’s latest blog about the thrilling saga of Duke Cyberwalker, a fresh college grad turned cybersecurity hero. It’s not just a creative and engaging narrative, it's a parable about daily professional challenges and growth. Join Duke on his epic adventure and discover how you, too, can transform the mundane into an adventure with Splunk.     Here’s a sneak peek into the transformative stages of his hero’s journey:    The Ordinary World: Duke begins his journey as a young, brilliant coder just out of college. He dreams of adventure but despite his potential, he struggles with self-doubt.    The Call to Adventure: Duke’s life takes a turn when he is asked to help thwart a cyber attack at his mother’s mid-sized retail business. Although her company uses Splunk, it was attacked by Black Hat Bot, which is stealing company data, sending out false and alarming information, and creating an environment of distrust. She doesn’t have a cybersecurity expert on site to optimize the platform and disarm the bot. She looks to Duke for help.   Refusal of the Call: At first, Duke is hesitant to get involved because he doesn’t feel like he is qualified to take on Black Hat Bot. He has yet to put his cybersecurity skills to the test and hasn’t yet worked with Splunk. He does not feel confident enough to take on Black Hat Bot.    Read the full blog here. ... View more

Meet Carol Wright. She leads the Splunk Academic Alliance program at Splunk. The Splunk Academic Alliance program is shaping the next generation of cybersecurity professionals by providing students with hands-on training and industry-recognized certifications at no cost. Through a combination of Splunk product donations, eLearning resources, and real-world lab environments, universities are equipping students with in-demand skills that will prepare them for exciting IT and data careers. From foundational learning to advanced live instruction and SOC challenges, the program helps students gain the experience and expertise they need to thrive in the workforce. ___________________________________________________________ Read Carol’s full blog on Splunk Blogs to learn more ___________________________________________________________ For our Splunk community, this means that your future colleagues and employees entering the field will be well-versed in the Splunk platform and ready to take on the cybersecurity challenges of tomorrow. By offering equitable access to these resources, the Academic Alliance is not only addressing the growing need for cybersecurity professionals but also ensuring that these future hires bring a deep understanding of data analytics, security operations, and threat prevention—skills critical to the success of any modern organization. Thanks for supporting the amazing work Splunk is doing to support our learners. -Callie Skokos on behalf of the Splunk Education Crew ... View more

Welcome to another episode of "Splunk Smartness," where we explore how Splunk Education can revolutionize your approach to problem-solving and learning Splunk. I’m your host, Callie Skokos, and today we’re joined by Patrick Tatro, Security Advisor and Splunk Administrator from Wisconsin. Patrick, it’s great to have you here! Patrick Tatro: Thanks, Callie! Excited to share my experiences and hopefully inspire a few folks along the way. Callie: Patrick, I hear you have quite the interesting life outside of work, managing a forest and practicing bow hunting. Can you tell us a bit about that?   Patrick: Absolutely! I manage about 100 acres of forest here in Wisconsin, focusing on keeping the ecosystem healthy by targeting invasive species like Buckthorn. It’s challenging but rewarding, especially when I get to use the wood in my sauna. I like to compare it to coding or using Splunk; it's all about managing resources creatively and effectively. Callie: I love that comparison! Now speaking of Splunk, how did you initially get into using it? Patrick: My journey with Splunk started back in 2019 when I was supporting a customer with their vulnerability scanning architecture. I found the existing tools weren't up to the task, so I got totally immersed into learning and understanding Splunk. I started with free online training courses, attended an app developer bootcamp at .conf, and just dedicated myself to learning, much like how I learned bow hunting. I've used all of Splunk's education resources, from online training to instructor-led courses and reading books to dive deep from beginner to advanced levels. Callie: Wow, so the training helped you learn which of the Splunk products? Patrick: I use Splunk Cloud and Splunk Enterprise Security mostly. These tools allow me to manage and analyze data efficiently, which is critical in both my corporate role and my consulting work for K-12 education. Callie: It’s so great that you’ve found incredible value from Splunk. How do you incorporate Splunk into your work with schools and private companies? Patrick: In K-12, I help schools analyze their data to better assess their needs and guide them on security. For smaller companies, I offer a group membership to a private consulting group, which includes one-on-one sessions. Splunk’s APIs help automate much of the onboarding and management process, making everything more streamlined. Callie Skokos: That’s incredibly innovative. You’ve mentioned the powerful insights Splunk offers. Can you expand on that? Patrick: One of the biggest insights is confidence in data handling. With Splunk, as long as you can get the data into the system, the only limit is your creativity. For example, in cybersecurity, instead of “asking” the tool to identify problems—which often misses the root cause—Splunk allows me to integrate data from various sources into a single dashboard, providing a comprehensive view and deeper context to security events. Callie: It sounds like Splunk has really transformed how you approach security. Have you taken any more Splunk training recently? Patrick Tatro: Yes, I attended the Data Science Bootcamp at .conf24. It was a fantastic introduction to machine learning and really highlighted the opportunities for applying the technology and concepts within Splunk. I also participated in the Boss of the SOC competition and learned a lot from team collaboration there. Callie Skokos: Incredible. So, I imagine you have a few Splunk certifications? Patrick Tatro: I do—I’m certified as a Core User, Power User, Splunk Cloud Admin, Splunk ES Admin, and Cyber Defense Analyst. These certifications have been crucial in building a robust understanding of what Splunk can do. Callie Skokos: That’s great. Do you engage with other Splunk users to share best practices and get new tips and tricks? Patrick Tatro: Yes, I’m very active in the Splunk Community. I use the Slack channels and find the resource-sharing and Q&A immensely helpful. It’s a community-driven platform, and the support from other users, especially the Splunk Trust members, consistently boosts my confidence in using Splunk effectively. Callie Skokos: As you look to the future, where else do you think Splunk can take you? Patrick Tatro: I’m really interested in either becoming a full-time Splunk Consultant or an App Developer—or possibly both. The goal is to continue leveraging Splunk to create solutions that make data actionable and insightful, not just for myself but for clients across various industries. Callie Skokos: Patrick, it’s been fantastic hearing about your journey and how Splunk has played a role in it. Thanks so much for joining us today. Patrick Tatro: Thank you, Callie. I appreciate the opportunity to share my story! _______________________________________________ That's it for today's episode of "Splunk Smartness." Thank you all for tuning into "Splunk Smartness." We'll be back next time with more insights on how Splunk can enhance your tech skills and career – and help you make your organization more resilient. Until then, stay smart and keep Splunking! ... View more

Splunk Certification holders and candidates!  Please be advised of an upcoming system maintenance period for Pearson VUE, our Splunk Certification testing partner. Below are the details: Outage Window: The Pearson Vue system will be unavailable from Friday, October 11, at 1:00 p.m. CDT to Sunday, October 13, at 9:00 a.m. CDT.  Impact: During this maintenance window you will be unable to create a Pearson VUE account or log into your existing account to schedule, reschedule, or cancel exam appointments.  Global Outage: Please note that this is a planned global outage, impacting all of Pearson VUE's clients worldwide. Splunk Certification Support: Due to this outage, the Splunk Certification Team will be unable to provide support until Monday, October 14 following the maintenance period. We will resume support services immediately after. Planning your certification activities around this schedule will ensure that you are minimally impacted. For any immediate concerns or questions, please contact certification@splunk.com before the maintenance begins. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this maintenance window. ... View more

C’mon over to the Splunk Training and Certification Community Site for the latest ways you can grow your minds and your careers! These are some blogs you may have missed while you were cruising the rest of the Splunk Community.    The Splunk Education Smartness Series Sometimes it’s hard to visualize how far we can take our careers – until we hear about how others have done it. So, if you’re looking for inspiration and best practices for growing your career with Splunk, check out the first three interviews of the series.  Meet Tom, Pedro, and Brandon   Tick tock! Grab a seat at the last minute When you’re done scrolling TikTok, we’d like to remind you that (tick tock) time’s a-wastin and life’s too short to procrastinate. Splunk Last Minute Learning is motivation du jour, designed so you can quickly get the technical training you might be putting off.  Check out our Last Minute Learning Opportunities   Yes, training units do expire | You’ve got a year  Whether it’s hummus, a ham sandwich, or a human, almost everything in this world has an expiration date. And, Splunk Education Training Units are no exception – always expiring one year from the date of purchase. Don’t let these slip by without using them to gain access to our valuable instructor-led training or eLearning with labs.  Get the deets on using those training units   Get ready for the new release party Just like the angsty buzz around a new Taylor Swift album, we like to think the new course releases from Splunk Education generate a similar – albeit techy – vibe. Whether you're a fan of fast-paced instructor-led sessions or prefer learning at your own, sweet pace, our new releases are sure to be top hits.  Add these new courses to your resume Don’t miss out—visit the Splunk Training and Certification Site regularly. It’s the place where we continue to share innovative ways you can expand your knowledge and advance your career with Splunk.  ... View more

September 2024 Edition Hayyy Splunk Education Enthusiasts and the Eternally Curious!  We’re back with this month’s edition of indexEducation, the newsletter that takes an untraditional twist on what’s new with Splunk Education. We hope the updates about our courses, certification program, and self-paced training will feed your obsession to learn, grow, and advance your careers. Let’s get started with an index for maximum performance readability: Training You Gotta Take | Things You Needa Know | Places You’ll Wanna Go  Training You Gotta Take Just your style | Over 50 free eLearning courses If you’re searching for a used coffee table to refurbish, it’s possible you could find one on Facebook marketplace for free. But, if you’re searching for career-changing tech courses, you’ll definitely find more than 50 on the Splunk Education website for free. We’re here to help you learn on your own terms in your own style so you can take your career to the next level – no money required. So, start exploring some no-cost Splunk eLearning courses like Using Fields, Intro to Dashboards, Scheduling Reports and Alerts, and many more. We like to think we put the free in freestyle.  Gotta learn for free | Over 50 no-cost eLearning courses The Foundation | Fundamentals of Metrics Monitoring in Splunk Observability Cloud When the lecture hall is your office, the whiteboard is your laptop, and the professor is a Splunk training expert. That’s how we roll in Splunk Education. Our virtual instructor-led trainers teach all the concepts using lectures and scenario-based hands-on activities, which is how you will experience “Fundamentals of Metrics Monitoring in Splunk Observability Cloud.” This course serves as the foundation for all other Splunk Observability courses and is targeted to DevOps/SRE/Observability teams, Senior On-call Engineers, Onboarding and Monitoring Strategists and Developers and provides a fundamental understanding of metrics monitoring in Splunk Observability. Start here and begin your observability journey with a solid foundation.  Gotta see it to believe it | Observability makes it clear Things You Needa Know How Pedro advanced his career | SMARTNESS Series, Episode 2 Sometimes it’s hard to imagine how far we can take our careers – until we hear about how others have done it. So, if you need inspiration to help you grow your career with Splunk, maybe Episode 2 of our Splunk Education SMARTNESS series will show you what’s possible. This episode features Pedro Borges, who shares how he went from being a skeptic to a believer by learning Splunk through training, hands-on experience, and by tapping into the brilliant Splunk community. “Honestly. I’m running out of certifications to take!” See where curiosity and a growth mindset can take you. Needa be inspired | Meet Pedro Tick tock | Grab a seat at the last minute When you’re done scrolling TikTok, we’d like to remind you that (tick tock) time’s a-wastin and life’s too short to procrastinate. Splunk Last Minute Learning is motivation du jour, designed so you can quickly get the technical training you might be putting off. And, since Splunk Training Units expire one year after purchase, taking a class at the last minute may be just the ticket to ensuring those training units don’t go unused. Simply sign up using your Splunk.com account and pay with your company training units (or a credit card if training units are not part of your plan). When you need that dopamine hit, just scroll our course catalog and imagine the places you can go with Splunk. Gotta get training in | Last minute instructor-led courses Places You’ll Wanna Go Splunk Lantern | How to boost LLM observability with Splunk Raise your hand if you’ve used ChatGPT to write a carefully crafted response to a sensitive email? Well then, you’ve experienced just one type of use case for using large language models. This month, Splunk Lantern – the customer success center that provides advice from experts on key use cases and how to optimize Splunk – shares another use case. Thanks to the expertise of Derek Mitchell, Global Observability Specialist at Splunk, you can access a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how OpenTelemetry can be used to view LLM data in Splunk Observability Cloud. You need to know what questions to ask in order to find the answers you seek. Go further with Lantern | LLM data is key to o11y Back to school | STEPtember is here Changing leaves, crisp, cool days, and back to school means it’s autumn in North America! More specifically, it’s STEPtember in Splunk Education. We’re all about providing ways you can learn and excel so you can optimize Splunk for your organization, and we have a learning platform designed with you in mind. The Splunk Training & Enablement Platform (STEP) is the place to view our entire technical training catalog, enroll in courses, access in-progress eLearning, and review completed training and course completion certificates. Grab a PSL, fire up your HP, and STEP into a world of opportunities. Go to tech school | STEPtember, where school is always in session Find Your Way | Learning Bits and Breadcrumbs Go Chat | Join our Community User Group Slack Channel Go Stream It  | The Latest Course Releases (Some with Non-English Captions!) Go Last Minute | Seats Still Available for ILT Go Deep | Register for Security and Observability Tech Talks  Go to STEP | Get Upskilled Go Discuss Stuff | Join the Community Go Social | LinkedIn for News Go Index It | Subscribe to our Newsletter   Thanks for sharing a few minutes of your day with us – whether you’re looking to grow your mind, career, or spirit, you can bet your sweet SaaS, we got you. If you think of anything else we may have missed, please reach out to us at indexEducation@splunk.com.    Answer to Index This:  F I V E Remove the 2 letters F and E from five and you have IV. ... View more

Hello and welcome to another episode of "Splunk Smartness," the interview series where we explore the power of Splunk Education in helping us optimize Splunk to create more resilient organizations. I'm your host, Callie Skokos, and today, I'm thrilled to have Brandon Sternfield, a Principal Cyber Security Architect, joining us from Northern Virginia. Brandon, welcome to the series! Brandon Sternfield: Thanks, Callie! Happy to be here and excited to chat. Callie: Brandon, before we dive into your professional life, I hear you're quite the gamer and learner. Can you share more about your hobbies? Brandon: Absolutely, Callie. I’m an avid student of just about anything, and in my downtime, I dive into the world of gaming. I lead guilds in MMOs, enjoy FPS games, and I'm really into roguelite-style games. These games not only relax me but also sharpen my strategic thinking. Callie: That sounds like a perfect blend of fun and skill-building. Now, let's talk about your journey with Splunk. How did you first get introduced to it? Brandon: My first encounter with Splunk was back in 2016 when I was a Penetration Tester for a Splunk Partner. They offered free training, which I could do on the clock, so it was a win-win. That training led me to start experimenting with Splunk, automating reports, and eventually crafting visualizations and dashboards for security campaigns. Callie: What a great way to start! What specific Splunk products do you work with most often? Brandon: I primarily work with Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Enterprise Security. I've also explored Splunk IT Service Intelligence and Splunk SOAR, and I've been brainstorming some potential applications for Splunk Edge Hub as well. Callie: How did you go about learning to use these tools effectively? Brandon: It began with the free eLearning opportunities offered by Splunk. Then, as I moved roles from working in a SOC to becoming a full Splunk Admin, I took several instructor-led classes. A significant part of my learning came from setting up Splunk at home and applying it on the job in real environments. Callie: That’s such a great way to learn and then put those skills to the test. Oh, and speaking of testing, do you hold any Splunk Certifications? Brandon: Yes, I've earned eleven certifications so far, ranging from User, Admin of the Premium Apps ITSI, ES, and SOAR, Cybersecurity Defense Analyst and I just recently earned my Consultant certification. I'm currently waiting on the results for the Cybersecurity Defense Engineer beta exam as well. Callie: That's so impressive, Brandon. Wow. You really seem super dedicated to fully optimizing Splunk in your organization. Have you ever been able to find time to attend any Splunk University bootcamps? Brandon: While I didn't attend any at .conf24, I did participate in the Architecting Deployments and Advanced Dashboarding bootcamps at .conf23. These sessions are incredibly immersive and a fantastic way to deepen your knowledge. Callie: What did you think about the community vibe when you attended Splunk University in Las Vegas?   Brandon: Oh, it was really impactful. In fact, I’ve been active in the Splunk Community for years and I was even selected to volunteer at the Splunk Community Zone at .conf24, This year, I was nominated and chosen for Splunk MVP based on my strong contributions to the Community! I look forward to maintaining my status as a Splunk MVP and hopefully working my way to Splunk Trust membership. Callie: That’s so great! It's clear that Splunk has been a significant part of your career. How has optimizing Splunk helped in your career journey and advancement? Brandon: It's been a cornerstone of my career development. I transitioned from Penetration Testing to Threat Hunting, to a Splunk Enterprise Security Admin, and now to a Splunk PS Consultant. Each step was facilitated by my deepening expertise in Splunk, showcasing a trajectory I hadn't imagined back when I started. Callie: I always love to hear how Splunk has supported careers. Looking ahead, what are your future plans with Splunk or Splunk Certification? Brandon: I'm really excited about integrating Splunk and Splunk ES into a scalable 'SOC in a box' deployment. I believe Splunk ES is top-notch, and I want to make it more accessible for our customers. Personally, I'm also planning to rebuild my home lab to integrate various data like weather info and utility bills to optimize my HVAC system—a fun project that combines my professional skills with personal interests. Callie: Super fun and a great way to deepen your knowledge of Splunk in support of sustainability. I love it. Brandon, your journey and plans with Splunk are truly inspiring. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us today. Brandon: Thank you, Callie. It’s been great talking with you and sharing my Splunk story! Callie: That's it for today's episode of "Splunk Smartness." We'll be back next time with more insights on how Splunk can enhance your tech skills and career – and help you make your organization more resilient. Until then, stay smart and keep Splunking! ______________________________________________ PS:  Be like Brandon and check out our latest Splunk Certification – Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Engineer. ... View more

August 2024 Edition Hayyy Splunk Education Enthusiasts and the Eternally Curious!  We’re back with this month’s edition of indexEducation, the newsletter that takes an untraditional twist on what’s new with Splunk Education. We hope the updates about our courses, certification program, and self-paced training will feed your obsession to learn, grow, and advance your careers. Let’s get started with an index for maximum performance readability: Training You Gotta Take | Things You Needa Know | Places You’ll Wanna Go  Training You Gotta Take Last Minute Learning  | Grab a seat at the eleventh hour Are you a serial procrastinator or obsessed with maximizing every opportunity? No matter your mindset, Splunk Last Minute Learning is designed just for you. It allows you to rapidly get more technical training under your belt or catch up on those classes you might have put off. And, since Splunk Training Units expire one year after purchase, taking a class at the last minute may be just what you need to ensure those training units don’t go unused. Simply sign up using your Splunk.com account and pay with your company training units or a credit card. We see you – and we like the way you think. Gotta get training in | Last minute instructor-led courses The Latest | Exploring and Analyzing Data with Splunk  If you’re a fan of Andrew Huberman and his four-hour podcasts about things like optimizing your sleep, then you probably have no problem with your attention span or your thirst for knowledge. If that’s the case, this new 9-hour course should probably be next up on your playlist. Exploring and Analyzing Data with Splunk is for users who want to attain operational intelligence level 4, (business insights) and covers exploratory data analysis by using statistical tools and custom visualizations. This course provides the opportunity to dip your feet into the deep (and complex) pool of data science before heading off to our more advanced Splunk for Analytics and Data Science course. And, hat tip to Andrew, you’ll probably even sleep better knowing it creates the foundation for what’s next in data science.  Gotta learn something new | Enroll today Things You Needa Know There’s a new certification in town | Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Engineer  When you hear the words, SOC and SOAR and security, do you visualize some kind of superhero swooping in to save the day? Well, we do – and it’s everyday people like you that we see. So, take our latest certification exam to validate your skills as a SOC Engineer using Splunk Enterprise Security and Splunk SOAR and earn your Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Engineer certification. This exam establishes an intermediate-level standard for users of Splunk Enterprise, Enterprise Security, and Splunk SOAR who wish to be certified as cybersecurity professionals. We don’t hand out capes after you pass, but we do give you a badge.  Needa show your stuff | Certifications are validation Splunk Community Slack FTW | Become a valued member today It’s like hanging at the community pool, but with more like-minded tech folks – and no swimsuit required. The Splunk Community is your free way to learn, stay up to date, connect, share ideas, and find success. Here you’ll find a collection of resources where you can ask questions, get answers, connect with other Splunk enthusiasts – via Splunk Answers, User Groups, and Slack. If you're not already a member of the Splunk Community Slack, we’d love to welcome you aboard. By joining and inviting others to sign up, you not only become part of a great group, but you have a chance to win a $50 Splunk Store gift card! Unlike the community pool, which traditionally closes by September 1, this offer runs through September 20. Hurry, it’s a real win-win.  Needa know more about using Splunk | Join Slack Places You’ll Wanna Go SMARTNESS Series | Meet Tom Sometimes it’s hard to visualize how far we can take our careers – until we hear about how others have done it. So, if you’re looking for inspiration and best practices for growing your career with Splunk, maybe Episode 1 of our new Splunk Education SMARTNESS series featuring Tom Kopchak will help you imagine the possibilities. Say hi to Tom and let us know what you think about the interview. And, while you’re at it, get to know Splunk Education and Splunk Certification – a few of the avenues Tom believes impacted his career trajectory.  Wanna be inspired | This interview series is the place The Splunk Community | SplunkTrust fezzes in collab with Lantern  The SplunkTrust is a group of highly skilled and knowledgeable Splunk users who are trusted advisors to Splunk. These widely-recognizable fez wearers are selected based on their exceptional technical skills and suggestions, which are often used to influence future Splunk features and applications. Today, these fine friends are also collaborating with Lantern, the Splunk customer success center that provides expert advice and tips for managing Splunk more efficiently. Have you ever been tempted to use Splunk to uncover some really outlandish insights? Well, so have we! With Lantern, you can learn about some unusual ways these incredible minds are using Splunk.  Wanna go to the horse stable | One Trust member Splunks his hobby Find Your Way | Learning Bits and Breadcrumbs Go Stream It  | The Latest Course Releases (Some with Non-English Captions!) Go Last Minute | Seats Still Available for ILT Go Deep | Register for Security and Observability Tech Talks  Go to STEP | Get Upskilled Go Discuss Stuff | Join the Community Go Social | LinkedIn for News Go Index It | Subscribe to our Newsletter   Thanks for sharing a few minutes of your day with us – whether you’re looking to grow your mind, career, or spirit, you can bet your sweet SaaS, we got you. If you think of anything else we may have missed, please reach out to us at indexEducation@splunk.com.    Answer to Index This:  888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000 ... View more

Hello and welcome back to "Splunk Smartness," where we explore how Splunk Education can turbocharge your career and your technical skills. I'm your host, Callie Skokos, and today we're chatting with Pedro Borges, a Senior Security Engineer at Siemens, based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. Pedro, great to have you on the series!   Pedro Borges: Thanks, Callie. I’m really glad to be here! Callie Skokos: Pedro, you seem to balance a busy life with some fun activities. What do you like to do in your spare time? Pedro: Well, spending time with my family is my top priority. When I find some extra time, I enjoy playing video games and noodling around on my bass guitar. It's a great way to unwind. Callie: Sounds like a perfect way to recharge. Now, diving into your professional journey, how did you start using Splunk? Pedro: My Splunk journey kicked off around Splunk .conf18. I was working at Concur as a Security Engineer, mainly focused on vulnerability management. I was a bit skeptical about how Splunk could fit into that, but attending the conference with my manager/mentor opened my eyes to its capabilities. By the next year, I was deep into learning how to support our Splunk deployment. Callie: What an introduction! What Splunk products are you currently using? Pedro: Right now, we’re using Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Enterprise Security. They're integral tools for our security architecture. Callie: With these powerful tools at your disposal, how did you go about learning to use them effectively? Pedro: My management invested in Splunk instructor-led training and eLearning with labs, plus Splunk Certifications. So, I attended this type of training, but the best learning experience, really, has been on-the-job—really getting hands-on with the platform. I was also fortunate to have a great mentor and learn from others who've been working with Splunk. Plus, using Splunk exam prep for Splunk Certification is another great motivator to learn and dig deeper into what the products can do. Callie: Oh, so you have Splunk Certifications? Can you tell us about the ones you’ve achieved? Pedro: Absolutely! I have quite a few certifications under my belt: Splunk Enterprise Certified Architect, Splunk Enterprise Security Certified Admin, Splunk Cloud Certified Admin, and Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Analyst. Honestly, I’m running out of certifications to take! Getting Splunk certified and becoming really proficient in using Splunk has been one of the best career moves I've made.   Callie: That's really impressive, Pedro. Shows such a growth mindset! Along with the traditional Splunk training, have you participated in any Splunk University bootcamps? Pedro: Yes, I’ve taken part in bootcamps, especially to ramp up on SOAR. The in-person experience is invaluable because you can interact directly with instructors and ask questions on the spot. It’s usually a long, intensive week in Las Vegas, but it’s worth it. It’s tough to match that level of engagement when you’re learning virtually. Callie: It sounds like those experiences have been integral to your learning. Pedro, what are the most valuable insights you've gained from using Splunk in your role? Pedro: My role leans heavily towards the architectural and administrative side of things, managing three Splunk environments end-to-end. It’s not just about sifting through data; it’s about managing updates, developing dashboards, and optimizing our processes. Splunk helps us keep our security posture proactive rather than reactive. Callie: And how has becoming proficient with Splunk impacted your career? Pedro: It’s been a game-changer. In a previous role, I was promoted to SIEM design manager, overseeing close to 20 Splunk deployments, which led to my current role at Siemens. Getting certified in Splunk was definitely one of the best career decisions I've made. Callie: That’s so amazing to hear. What future plans do you have regarding Splunk or further certifications? Pedro: I’m looking forward to tackling more complex challenges—integrating intricate data sources, managing complex deployments. It’s about continuous growth and pushing the boundaries of what I can do with Splunk to support my organization. I’m also very active in the Splunk Community and hope to share my expertise and experience with those who are early career learners like I once was when I started. Callie: I love hearing this because we LOVE our Splunk Community, too. I hear you’re a Splunk Community MVP, which is a way for Splunk to recognize and celebrate our star contributors. What’s that been like? Pedro: It’s been super validating. I’m on my way toward becoming a SplunkTrust member, and it feels great to give back to the community that has helped me so much. From sharing tips on the community channels to participating in presentations at .conf, it’s been a rewarding experience. Callie: I’m excited about what’s ahead for you, Pedro. Thank you so much for sharing your Splunk journey with us today. Pedro: Thank you, Callie. It was a pleasure to be here and share my story! ___________________________________________________ And thank you all for tuning into "Splunk Smartness." We'll be back next time with more insights on how Splunk can enhance your tech skills and career – and help you make your organization more resilient. Until then, stay smart and keep Splunking! PS:  Be like Pedro and check out our latest Splunk Certification – Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Engineer. ... View more

Whether it’s hummus, a ham sandwich, or a human, almost everything in this world has an expiration date. And, Splunk Education Training Units are no exception – always expiring one year from the date of purchase. Don’t let these slip by without using them to gain access to our valuable instructor-led training or eLearning with labs.  Training units are the currency of career advancement Insights from our latest Splunk Career Impact Survey proves that taking Splunk Education training is paying off. According to the survey results, very proficient practitioners of Splunk are 2.7 times more likely to get promoted, and those with Splunk certifications plus higher levels of Splunk proficiency reported earning approximately 131% more than their less-proficient peers. With more Splunk skills, you're on the way to future-proofing your career! Work with your org manager to use those training units If you’re a Splunk user for one of our customers, make sure you connect with the person in your company who manages the Splunk training units. Let them know that you would love to take some of those already paid-for training units off their hands so they don’t expire before they get used. Oh, but if you’re just a curious learner itching to get more Splunk courses under your belt and don’t officially use Splunk at your org, you can purchase training and register for class using a credit card. No problem!    Enroll in some classes today – Here’s what’s popular Here are just a few of the more popular Instructor-led Splunk Education courses to choose from: Intro to Splunk Using Fields Visualizations Working with Time Statistical Processing Comparing Values Result Modification And, remember that training units can also be used for eLearning with labs if you prefer more self-paced learning.  See you in class – even at the last minute In the next two weeks, there are still seats available via our Last Minute Learning program. You can quickly get into some popular virtual instructor-led training courses that have low enrollment – available for purchase via training units or credit card. This is a great opportunity to take those training units that might be expiring soon! If your company has purchased a contract of TUs, please consult with your Org Manager to enroll in these paid classes.    At Splunk Education, we get excited about helping our learners excel. So, go get those training units and we’ll see you in class!  -Callie Skokos on behalf of the Splunk Education team ___________________________________ Some fine print Training units expire at 12:01 AM Eastern Time on the expiration date. Registrations paid by training units must be placed before 12:01 AM Eastern Time. All instructor-led classes and dedicated classes paid by training units must start the day before the training units expire. Get all the details here.  ... View more

Calling all cybersecurity professionals! The latest addition to the Splunk certification family is here, and it’s designed to validate your skills as a SOC Engineer. The Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Engineer certification focuses on using Splunk Enterprise Security and Splunk SOAR to optimize workflows, craft and tune effective detections, and build automations following industry best practices. Ready to take your career to the next level? Read on to find out how! Level Up to a Defense Engineering Career Path Are you ready to move into cybersecurity defense engineering for security operations centers (SOC)? This exciting career path involves analyzing security vulnerabilities and threats to create and tune detections, incorporating risk, developing and following security processes and programs, and efficiently automating standard operating procedures. By becoming a Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Engineer, you’ll be equipped to handle these critical tasks and more. Who Should Pursue This Certification? Cybersecurity Professionals Take your SOC analyst career further and level up as a Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Engineer. This certification is perfect for those who want to demonstrate their expertise in optimizing detection and automation in a SOC environment. Career Builders Looking to advance your career? Earning this certification will help you climb the ranks as a Splunk-certified professional, opening up new opportunities for growth and advancement in the cybersecurity field. SOC Detection Engineers Solidify your position as a cybersecurity detection engineer and enhance your efficiency with Splunk Enterprise Security and Splunk SOAR. This certification will validate your skills and knowledge, ensuring you’re at the top of your game.   Exam Details including Prerequisite  Level: Professional Prerequisites: Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Analyst Length: 120 minutes Format: 100 multiple choice questions Pricing: $0 USD *while in beta Delivery: Exam is given by our testing partner, Pearson VUE   Get Prepared for the Exam Ready to take the plunge? Here are some resources to help you get started: Review exam requirements and recommendations on the Splunk Cybersecurity Defense Engineer track flowchart. Discover what to expect on the exam via the test blueprint. Get step-by-step registration assistance with the Exam Registration Tutorial.   Don’t miss out on this opportunity to validate your skills and advance your career. Get prepped to take the Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Engineer exam today and take the first step towards becoming a leader in cybersecurity defense engineering! Happy learning!  – Callie Skokos on behalf of the Splunk Certification crew ... View more

July 2024 Edition Hayyy Splunk Education Enthusiasts and the Eternally Curious!  We’re back with this month’s edition of indexEducation, the newsletter that takes an untraditional twist on what’s new with Splunk Education. We hope the updates about our courses, certification program, and self-paced training will feed your obsession to learn, grow, and advance your careers. Let’s get started with an index for maximum performance readability: Training You Gotta Take | Things You Needa Know | Places You’ll Wanna Go Training You Gotta Take Creating Maps 9.2 | Getting you where you want to go Are you Team Google Maps or Team Apple Maps? Or, neither because they aren’t up-to-date enough to get you to the campground near the hidden waterfall? Don’t lose faith because we’re here to announce big updates to our instructor-led course entitled Creating Maps 9.2. This 4.5 hour course is designed for Splunk power users who want to create maps on dashboards – with training focused on the data and components required to create cluster maps, choropleth maps, and choropleth SVGs. Plus, you learn how to format, customize, and make maps interactive. Gotta take the latest version | Creating Maps 9.2 Targeted learning paths | The smartest way to Splunk Certification It’s not like that time in college when you took only anatomy and biology courses and then decided to apply for law school. With Splunk Education, we can help you prepare to take Splunk Certification exams – designed to verify your proficiency in specific technical skills. So, in addition to putting your real-world experience and foundational knowledge to the test, we provide supplemental learning paths to help you get ready for your exams. The courses included in a certification-specific learning path provide the foundation you need to practice the right material and prepare for each exam. Test-taking anxiety, be gone! Gotta get prepped | Learning paths to certification Things You Needa Know Yes, training units do expire | You’ve got a year  Whether it’s hummus, a ham sandwich, or a human, almost everything in this world has an expiration date. And, Splunk Education Training Units are no exception – always expiring one year from the date of purchase. Don’t let these slip by without using them to gain access to our valuable instructor-led training or eLearning with labs. If you’re a Splunk user, make sure you connect with the person in your company who manages the Splunk training units. Let them know that you would love to take some of those already paid-for training units off their hands so they don’t expire before they get used.  Needa use ‘em or lose ‘em | Training units have a shelf life Splunk Education is streaming | Find us on the Global Broadcast  We see Haya, and Alex, and Michael, and Lauri. These folks are like Splunk celebrities around here, with all their knowledge and welcoming personalities both on and off-screen. If you haven’t had the pleasure to meet them in one of our many Splunk eLearning or ILT classes, then the Splunk Global Broadcast is your chance! The Splunk Global Broadcast – which was streamed during .conf24 – featured dozens of learning sessions including three that were dedicated to Splunk Education and how our training can support your career. The sessions are now all available on demand.    Needa know more about Splunk Education | Stream the sessions Places You’ll Wanna Go To the Splunk Community | Relive the experience It’s that feeling when the party’s over but you just can’t seem to let the celebration fade. That’s how we feel when Splunk University and our annual user conference ends. So, we like to relive the events anytime we can – starting with the Splunk Community. From Splunk University, to Hands on Labs, to the Splunk Certification pop-up testing center, to the Education Station on the show floor, we were excited to deliver something for everyone. Share the vibes with us and get excited about what’s ahead. Wanna go share the excitement | Read about the experience – there’s pictures  Camping with a lantern | Edge Processor made easier Summer in North America is often synonymous with camping and one of the core pieces of equipment needed is a lantern to light the way. This was the inspiration for our Splunk customer success center – we call Lantern – that provides advice from Splunk experts on valuable data insights, key use cases, and tips on managing Splunk more efficiently. This month, the Lantern team is lighting the way with a series of Edge Processor guides designed to help you quickly grow your Edge Processor footprint. Oh. and speaking of footprints and camping, keep an eye out for the elusive sasquatch?  Wanna scale Edge Processor | Splunk Lantern makes it clear  Find Your Way | Learning Bits and Breadcrumbs Go Stream It  | The Latest Course Releases (Some with Non-English Captions!) Go Last Minute | Seats Still Available for ILT Go Deep | Register for Security and Observability Tech Talks  Go to STEP | Get Upskilled Go Discuss Stuff | Join the Community Go Social | LinkedIn for News Go Index It | Subscribe to our Newsletter   Thanks for sharing a few minutes of your day with us – whether you’re looking to grow your mind, career, or spirit, you can bet your sweet SaaS, we got you. If you think of anything else we may have missed, please reach out to us at indexEducation@splunk.com.    Answer to Index This: a coin   ... View more

Welcome to "Splunk Smartness," the interview series where we delve into how Splunk Education can help you excel in tech and beyond. I'm your host, Callie Skokos, and today we're chatting with Tom Kopchak, Director of Technical Operations at Hurricane Labs. Tom, welcome to the series!   Tom Kopchak: Thanks for having me, Callie. Excited to speak with you! Callie: It was so nice meeting you in person at .conf24 – which is our annual Splunk user conference. You’re such a long-time member of the Splunk Community, it felt like I already knew you when you stopped by our booth.  Tom: It was fun. I’ve been a user and an advocate of Splunk for almost ten years and I not only appreciate the technology, but I also appreciate the community of users – so I participate wherever and whenever I can.  Callie: I’m sure that’s why you seemed so familiar to me at the conference. You shared with me that in addition to being a Splunk fan and expert, you're also a musician. Can you tell us more about this and how it fits into your highly technical world? Tom: Absolutely! Music, especially playing the piano and organ, gives me a nice break from the tech world. It’s a different kind of creative process that helps me reset and think differently when I get back to solving data and security problems. Callie: And music is just one of your many interests, I’ve learned. So, let’s dive into your Splunk journey. About ten years ago, you had a chance to learn Splunk at work. Can you share more about that?  Tom: Sure. It was kind of serendipitous. We needed someone to deploy Splunk for a customer, and when the person originally tasked with it left unexpectedly, my boss asked me to fill in and take on the job. At the time, Splunk was not my area of expertise. I was a network support engineer.  It was definitely learning on the fly, but it led me down this path where now I help manage Splunk deployments and train others. Callie: That’s pretty amazing –  and brave – I might add. Speaking of training, what’s your approach at Hurricane Labs for getting your team up to speed with Splunk? Tom: We purchase Training Units from Splunk and plan our training quarters in advance. With over 50 people in need of training each quarter, we focus on roles they’ll support and put them on a Certification Track. Splunk Education gets them started, and then we tailor their learning with our own practical experiences and labs. Callie: It sounds like you have a well thought out process. So, how do you personally use your Splunk expertise to assist customers and others at Hurricane Labs? Tom: My role involves a lot of ad hoc support. Whether it's helping a customer through a cloud migration or resolving technical queries, I’m often coordinating with our security teams on the fly, usually through platforms like Slack or email. Callie: When we met, you were wearing a Splunk Fez. Can you share with us what that represents? Tom: Sure, it signifies that I am a member of the Splunk Trust. I earned my Splunk Trust membership based on my knowledge shared with and contributions made to the Splunk community. Being part of the Splunk Trust is incredibly valuable. It connects me with a really supportive community and gives me access to the Splunk roadmap, which helps not just in planning but also in contributing to the community through tutorials and how-tos. Callie: Well, huge congratulations on this honor. But that’s not all, is it? In addition to being a musician, a director of operations, an education manager, and a Splunk Trust member, you are also an adjunct professor in computer science. How does this all translate into your teaching role at the university level? Tom: Although I teach cybersecurity at Baldwin Wallace University, I don’t teach Splunk directly. It becomes part of the coursework because I believe it’s a critical tool in the field. It’s a real-world application that supports what my students learn about in their Pen Testing and Cybersecurity tracks.  Callie: You’re a teacher at the university level, and it appears that you’re also a life-long learner.  Can you share with us how many Splunk Certification badges you’ve received? Tom: I do hold quite a few. And, I work for them because they are true validation that I’m highly qualified to support my customers with their Splunk deployments and optimization. I have gone through the learning paths and passed the exams for Core Consultant, SOAR, CDA, Sales Engineer, Enterprise Security, and others. Callie: Do you have any advice for others in the field who want to continue growing their careers and staying ahead of evolving and devastating online threats?  Tom: Yes, learn Splunk – there’s free eLearning and affordable instructor-led training, plus hands on labs and you can download Splunk for free. If you already know how to use Splunk, engage with the community and take advantage of the resources like .conf sessions, Splunk docs, and open Slack channels. Splunk is dynamic, so staying connected is key to keeping up-to-date. Callie: Great advice, Tom. This has been really fun. Thanks for sharing your insights and experiences with us today. Tom: Thanks for having me, Callie. It was a pleasure! ___________________________________________________ Callie: That wraps up this episode of Splunk Smartness. Join us for our next interview to learn how Splunk Education has led to some amazing career-impacting, and dare we say, life-changing experience. Until then, get smart!  PS: You can learn more about Tom and get some great Splunk tutorials right here! Happy Splunking!  ... View more