Dean Parsons
Assistant Professor
CEO and Principal Consultant at ICS Defense Force, Inc.
Specialities
Industrial Control Systems Security
Connect with Dean
About Dean
Dean Parsons is a SANS Principal Instructor and the CEO and Principal Consultant of ICS Defense Force. He teaches ICS515: ICS Visibility, Detection, and Response and co-authors and instructs ICS418: ICS Security Essentials for Leaders. What makes Dean particularly effective in the classroom is simple: he builds OT security programs, hunts ICS-specific threats, and leads incident response operations across industrial environments, globally, then shares that real-world experience directly into class through labs and practical guidance students can apply the moment they’re back to work protecting critical infrastructure.
Press & Media
Recognitions
- Industrial Cyber: “Parsons urges ICS/OT sector to swap generic TTXs for targeted drills using Five Critical Controls.”
- Industrial Cyber: “OT cybersecurity budgets shift toward strategy and resilience…”
- Industrial Cyber: “Highlighting focus on rise of industrial CISOs…”
- Industrial Cyber: “Embedding threat intelligence and practical training in ICS cybersecurity awareness…”
- PrOTect It All Podcast: “Building Trust and Bridging the Gap in OT and IT Cybersecurity.”
- SANS Blueprint Podcast: “Dean Parsons: Cyber Security for OT and ICS.”
- The Hacker News: “SANS Institute Unveils Critical Infrastructure Strategy Guide for 2024.”
- Amazon: The ICS Cybersecurity Field Manual: Vol. 1–3 + Bonus Material
- YouTube Series: SANS ICS Rapid Response
- YouTube Series: SANS ICS Security Brief