“I am grateful to NU for this one-of-a-kind opportunity”

Aditya Sagar Ranka, Class of 2021 (BTech CSE), believes that he hit the jackpot with his Industry Practice. That’s because he not only got a chance to intern at technology giant IBM but also got to work as a security analyst in his chosen field of cyber security.

Aditya knew that this last internship before his graduation would be crucial to test his skills in a professional environment before embarking on a career. So, he decided to make the most of it.

“Our training sessions only began in March even though we were on-boarded in February. I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to gain an industry perspective on cyber security,” says Aditya, whose other passion is photography. He was the official photographer at NIIT University (NU).

At IBM, Aditya received training in identity and access management (IAM), data and application security (DAS), and security strategy, risk and compliance (SSRC). Crucially, he got first-hand experience in using different IAM tools such as SailPoint, CyberArk and Okta.

“The two-month-long training introduced me to the latest technologies used in the industry. After that, we were assigned projects in different areas of cyber security. I have been working on a project on IAM tools. It’s challenging but exhilarating at the same time,” he says, relishing the experience of working with experienced professionals in the field.

Aditya admits that working with new tools initially resulted in hiccups. But his industry mentor ensured that he got all the help and guidance that he needed.

“I love working with IBM because everyone is approachable and ready to help us when we have issues. This speaks highly of the work environment in the organisation, which we are only getting a taste of due to the pandemic. Nevertheless, I am grateful to NU for this one-of-a-kind opportunity,” he says.