By Carolyn Doyle
Recent Luddy School graduate Megha Moncy now works as a full-time Security Services Analyst with OmniSOC, a cybersecurity hub affiliated with Indiana University.
While she’s delighted with where she’s ended up, she acknowledges her career journey has been full of surprises.
“My path into cybersecurity is far from conventional,” says Moncy, who earned her master’s degree in Health Informatics in 2024 from IU’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering in Indianapolis.
Moncy, who was among three Luddy School students honored in 2024 as members of IU Indianapolis’ Elite 50, started her career by earning a bachelor’s degree in dentistry.
“While I found fulfillment in health care, my fascination with technology and its transformative power led me to explore a different path,” she explains. Her curiosity led her to Luddy Indianapolis, “which allowed me to bridge my passions for both health care and technology.”
Protecting students, faculty, and research at IU
In her role at OmniSOC, Moncy contributes to the security of academic and research environments.
“I focus on supporting the cybersecurity needs of higher education institutions and National Science Foundation-funded research facilities,” she explains.
“I am actively involved in impactful projects such as OSG, ACCESS, and Trusted CI. On a day-to-day basis, I conduct vulnerability scanning and triage using advanced tools like Nessus to identify and address potential system weaknesses.
“Additionally, I collaborate with security analysts to perform threat hunting and report indicators of compromise for member organizations whose data OmniSOC ingests.”
Finding her mission via the Luddy School
It was thanks to the Luddy School, Moncy explains, that she discovered her passion for cybersecurity.
“The turning point in my career came with the ACCESS Student Training and Engagement Program (STEP), which I joined in the summer of 2023 as part of my coursework at Luddy Indianapolis,” Moncy explains.
“STEP is a significant initiative of the U.S. National Science Foundation’s ACCESS program, designed to foster a diverse and skilled STEM workforce by introducing students to the field of cyberinfrastructure.”
The program, she says, provided her with “an unparalleled opportunity to immerse myself in hands-on cybersecurity work and take on more advanced responsibilities.”
Moncy served two internships with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), allowing her to do hands-on work and explore her interest in cybersecurity.
“I gained valuable experience in scanning and analyzing infrastructure to identify vulnerabilities and propose remediation strategies,” as an intern at NCSA, she says, “allowing me to deepen my expertise and contribute meaningfully to real-world cybersecurity challenges.
“This amazing experience ignited my passion for the field of cyberinfrastructure.”
Preparing at Luddy Indianapolis for her future career
Moncy credits her coursework at the Luddy School for helping her to identify and achieve her goals.
“My time at the Luddy School played a pivotal role in shaping my understanding of cybersecurity,” she says.
“The interdisciplinary approach offered at Luddy allowed me to explore the critical relationship between health care, technology, and security, providing a well-rounded perspective of the challenges in securing digital environments.
“Through courses such as Programming, Privacy and Security, and Clinical Information Systems, I gained a solid foundation in the technical, ethical, and regulatory aspects of information security,” Moncy says.
“These academic experiences equipped me with the essential skills to understand how applications are developed, deployed, and maintained, while also emphasizing the importance of integrating security measures into each phase of their life cycle.
“This holistic approach to informatics, blending health care knowledge with technical expertise, has been invaluable in enabling me to excel in my current role as a cybersecurity professional.”
A major cybersecurity presence
Indiana University’s commitment to cybersecurity is reflected in both research and day-to-day cyber defense efforts.
On the research side, IU created the Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research 22 years ago, in February 2003. CACR provides organizations, practitioners, and scholars with the skills to manage constantly changing cybersecurity risks.
To address ongoing cybersecurity challenges, Indiana University is affiliated with OmniSOC, a cutting-edge cybersecurity hub. This is where Moncy’s unusual career path led her after graduating from Luddy Indianapolis, and where she addresses critical cybersecurity challenges.
OmniSOC is the shared Security Operations Center (SOC) dedicated to higher education and research institutions, delivering rapid, high-quality, and actionable security alerts around the clock. By focusing on only the most critical threats, Moncy explains, OmniSOC empowers cybersecurity staff to direct their attention toward what matters most.
“I’ve been a part of this dynamic team for the past 8 months,” she says. “I find each day to be a rewarding experience, continuously learning.”
Media Contact
Joanne Lovrinic
jebehele@iu.edu
317-278-9208