Urban Philanthropies and Digit All Systems (DAS} partnership started with the introduction of Lance Lucas, founder of Digit All Systems, Inc., and Philip Bacon,former President of Urban Philanthropies, during Black Tech Week Miami at Florida International University in February 2016. Digit All Systems, Inc. is a 501(c}(3} non-profit organization committed to bridging the digital divide and bringing the benefits of expanding technology to everyone. It was founded in September 1998 and has since served more than 10,000 students, certifying over 600 students. The organization is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland. Digit All Systems’ certification program is designed to train students in the highly demanded cyber security field. Its instructors are certified IT instructors with current, real-world IT experience. Digit All Systems’ programs create real value for its students by combining high quality education with authentic hands-on training from experienced IT engineers. All the courses prepare students for professional certification tests and more advanced courses. Once introduced and familiarized with technology, students have the opportunity, through additional coursework, to gain professional certifications, starting with the A+ Certificate in 90 days and advancing to Network+ and Security+ in 210 days. Over several conversations and meetings, Urban Philanthropies and Digit All Systems agreed on the mission of empowering people in distressed communities with opportunities to bridge the technology gap and increase employment in the tech industry. Urban Philanthropies identified a location in Overtown at the University of Miami Life Sciences and Technology Center, hosted by the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC} and Venture Cafe. CIC was founded in 1999 in Kendall Square (Cambridge, Massachusetts} and houses more than 1000 companies in close to 750,000 square feet of premium office and co-working space across 8 facilities. The CIC community is composed primarily of startups, it also includes larger companies, investors, and service providers. Venture Cafe Miami, founded in 2016, is a non-profit organization that seeks to enhance and build the local innovation community by working to make it more diverse, inclusive, accessible and better connected. With a partnership with Digit All Systems, Urban Philanthropies will be offering certifications in technology ranging from A+ Certification to Ethical Hacking and earning a certificate starting in 90 days.
Urban Philanthropies and Digit All Systems have made an application with Pearson Vue to open a Cyber Security Testing Center at CIC, Miami. This center will be one of the few independently operated in Miami. We expect significant traffic at this site and have made preparations to professionally manage this center for the benefit of our community. Urban Philanthropies is focused on sustainable job creation and is in negotiations with RGTX, the largest minority cyber security in the world to provide real time job orders for potential program graduates. Our training and certification programs can be tailored to the demand of the market.