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Michael Cocanower of itSynergy earns prestigious Certified Ethical Hacker Certification

Michael Cocanower of itSynergy earns prestigious Certified Ethical Hacker Certification

Training from global EC-Council helps Cocanower better protect itSynergy’s clients from constantly evolving cyberattacks

PHOENIX, Ariz. (May 7, 2018) – Michael Cocanower, president and CEO of Phoenix-based itSynergy, has earned his Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification from the EC-Council, an international council of e-commerce consultants and the world’s largest cybersecurity technical certification body, with 200,000 certified professionals in 145 countries.

EC-Council’s security experts have designed more than140 labs which mimic real time scenarios in the course to help participants “live” through an attack as if it were real. IT professionals who receive training are also provided with access to more than 2,200 commonly used hacking tools to immerse them into the hacker world.

While Cocanower has been recognized nationally and locally for his IT expertise, he wanted to deepen his skillset in the area of cybersecurity so that his firm can better protect their customers from constantly evolving cyberattacks.

“Having the Certified Ethical Hacker certification gives us the unique perspective of knowing what cyberattacks look like from the ‘other’ side,” Cocanower said. “There is a difference between having awareness of real world scenarios, and having an in-depth understanding of the technical details of how attacks are carried out. I now have both.”

While penetration testing is part of the CEH training, Cocanower said his firm is not planning to offer that service for clients. 

“The purpose of the certification is to help us to be more aware of the tactics and techniques cybercriminals use, and apply that knowledge to our customer’s environment in order to better protect them,” he said. “Overall, I gained a much greater awareness of the techniques used by hackers at a tremendously detailed level. This allows me to recognize where our customers’ networks have weak points that can be exploited, how specifically those exploits might be carried out, and the changes required to close those weaknesses.”

Passionate about educating others, Cocanower conducts a free, 15-minute “Hacking the Human” webinar at 11:30 a.m. on the second Thursday of each month. The webinars are geared towards non-technical end users in business at any level in the company. The May 10 webinar will focus on “Spring Cleaning Technology Tips” to help participants prepare for a safe and cybersecure summer. Interested participants should register at https://itsynergy.com/webinar.

For more information, call itSynergy at (602) 297-2400 or visit www.itsynergy.com.

About Michael Cocanower, President and CEO of itSynergy

He has his black belt in the Kung Sul division of Hwa Rang Do, a Korean martial art, so it’s fitting that Michael Cocanower’s passion is helping small and medium-sized businesses defend themselves against malicious cyber intruders. A Phoenix native, Cocanower founded itSynergy in 1997, and under his leadership, the company has experienced exponential revenue growth. A long-standing Microsoft Partner, itSynergy provides strategic technology management services for small and mid-sized organizations on a fixed monthly fee. Cocanower, who holds a Certified Ethical Hacker certification from the EC-Council, has received numerous awards and widespread industry recognition throughout his career, including being named one of 20/20 Visionaries in Channel Pro Network magazine’s May 2016 issue. The magazine regularly turns to him for input on current IT trends, and called him a “shrewd and articulate observer of the SMB market.” In addition, the Arizona chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) recently appointed Cocanower to the board of directors as forum chair after serving two years as membership chair.

Media Contact:                

Sue Kern-Fleischer, PublicizeThis!, (602) 810-1404, sue@publicizethis.com

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itSynergy

itSynergy has been providing managed IT services and outsourced technology management to small- and mid-sized businesses for over 20 years. We are seen as trusted technology advisors by clients because we partner with them for success. Our philosophy is that when technology works as it should, it supports and enhances an organization’s ability to accomplish its goals and objectives and meet business growth goals.