City Of Virginia Beach Internship Final Paper

Shaquile Garces-Phillips
Old Dominion University
CYSE 368 Cyber Security Internship

Supervisor: TJ Klak

Professor: Teresa Duvall

Term: Fall 2025
November 30, 2025

Table of Contents

Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

The beginning…………………………………………………………………………3

Work Environment and Management……………………………………………………3

Duties, Tasks, and Projects…………………………………………………………………………………….4

Two on going projects…………………………………………………………………………6

Real-World Insight Into Password Resets and Cybersecurity Controls ……………6

Use of cybersecurity skills or knowledge in the internship………………7

How My Schoolwork Helped Me During My Internship…………………………………………7

Personal and Professional Growth Through Internship Experience (detailing your motivational aspects of the role) ………………………………………………………8

Discouraging aspects of the role and challenges from the role…………………………………8

Recommendations for Future Interns……………………………………………………………9

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………9

Reference………………………………………………………………………………………………………10

Introduction

Internships helps bridge gaps between what students learn in class and how those skills are used in real jobs, especially in fast-changing fields like cybersecurity. As a senior at Old Dominion University majoring in Cybersecurity, I wanted an internship that would help me strengthen my technical skills, learn more about the industry, and gain hands-on experience working with real IT operations. The reason that I chose the City of Virginia Beach’s Human Services Information Technology (HHS IT) department because it plays an important role in public services, has a supportive work environment, and focuses on keeping data safe and systems reliable. Although I applied for two internships, the one I truly wanted was the opportunity with the City of Virginia Beach. The other internship I applied for was with STIHL as a Help Desk Technician, which would not have been a bad opportunity since it provides a strong introduction to the IT field. I was comfortable with STIHL as a backup, but earning the City of Virginia Beach internship gave me a wider range of experience. The City of Virginia Beach assists over 450,000 residents and is an very important center for public services, including health and human services, public safety, and infrastructure support. The Human Services Department helps families and individuals by providing healthcare, behavioral health, housing, and social welfare services. In which HHS IT division plays a key role in maintaining and protecting the systems that make these services possible. This division is responsible for keeping technology running smoothly, and it was the department I was assigned to for my internship.

The beginning

From the beginning, this internship gave me more experience than I expected. I was quickly introduced to many different tasks, such as handling password management for Cerner Millennium and DOMA, creating user accounts, and helping with workstation, monitor, and laptop deployments. In addition, I  also assisted with printer replacements, Duo two-factor authentication setups, access audits, and daily ServiceNow ticket resolutions. Each one of these tasks helped  me strengthen my technical skills, improve my communication skills, and give me a better understanding of how important IT is in keeping  systems up and running smoothly. This experience showed me how IT supports public health, social services, and many other important administrative operations.

Throughout the internship I kept thinking about a famous quote by Malcolm X: “Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today, (Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today n.d)” This message guided me as I encountered each new task, challenge, and project. Every day on the job was a step toward preparing for my future career in cybersecurity, helping me build confidence, skills, and a deeper understanding of what it means to protect and support critical systems in an environment.

Work Environment and Management

The HHS IT team operated in a very collaborative way, and the supervisors were always approachable and supportive. My direct mentor and “Supervisor TJ Klak” consistently guided me while also giving me the confidence to take initiative and solve issues independently. The team held weekly meetings to review progress and adjust workloads, which helped keep communication open and encouraged everyone to share knowledge. Us interns were seen as meaningful contributors rather than temporary assistants. We also met once a month with Mr. Ed Feeney, the Deputy Chief of Enterprise Solutions and Services. During these monthly meetings, he reviewed the city’s IT portfolio, explained current projects, and discussed plans for future improvements. These sessions usually lasted over an hour and provided helpful insight into the broader goals and long-term direction of the city’s technology infrastructure.

The work culture was built on mentorship, transparency, and respect. Questions were always welcomed, and mistakes were treated as chances to learn and grow. No matter how many questions I asked during my internship, they were always patience with me and answered clearly. The team consistently went above and beyond by giving extra context and information beyond what I first asked for, which greatly improved my learning experience. I was also impressed by how accessible the leadership team was, because supervisors checked in often and gave helpful feedback. One of the most useful practices was the weekly wrap-up meetings held early on Tuesday and Friday mornings, where each team member had the chance to share what they had worked on, learned, or struggled with. These discussions strengthened team unity and helped me learn from everyone else’s experiences, this help me with my main Duties, tasks, and projects.

Duties, Tasks, and Projects

During my internship I was involved in multiple different Duties, task, and projects for instance completing password resets for both Cerner Millennium and DOMA accounts. In Reflection Paper 1, I described how common password fatigue has become for users who must remember many complicated passwords for different systems. The constant lockouts and strict password rules showed how important strong authentication and good password routines are in daily operations.

For Cerner Millennium, which is a large electronic health record (EHR) system that brings together clinical, financial, and operational data, the password reset process required several careful steps. I would log into the Cerner administration panel, created a secure temporary password, and emailed the user clear instructions on how to set up a new one. I then documented the reset in ServiceNow to make sure the tracking was accurate, and the ticket was properly closed. When I first started completing these resets, each one took around ten minutes, but as I gained experience and repeated the process, I was able to reduce the time to under three minutes. This improvement showed how familiar I had become with the system and how efficiently I could complete high-volume requests.

In addition, the reset process for DOMA followed a slightly different routine. After accepting a reset ticket, I logged into the administrator panel, found the user’s account, unlocked it, and generated a temporary password. Unlike Cerner, DOMA automatically emailed the notification to the user’s. My role was to complete the reset steps, make sure the account was properly unlocked, and document everything correctly. Completing these resets taught me how different systems manage authentication and reminded me how important accuracy and consistency are when supporting users.

These daily tasks showed me how essential password management is in cybersecurity. Password resets are not just small administrative tasks, they are a major part of protecting systems and preventing unauthorized access. By verifying identities, updating credentials securely, and documenting each action, I helped protect sensitive information. This experience strengthened my understanding of key cybersecurity concepts such as authentication, access control, and the principle of least privilege. 

Furthermore, another major area of responsibility was Cerner account creations, as I became more comfortable with completing password resets, I moved on to more difficult tasks such as creating new user accounts in Cerner Millennium. In Reflection Paper 3, I explained how challenging the user account creation process can be, especially because it requires working with multiple applications and making sure every required field is filled out correctly. Creating a new account involved verifying the user’s department, determining the proper level of access, reviewing similar employee profiles, and confirming that all settings matched the user’s job responsibilities. If any required field was left blank, the system could “lose” the profile, which meant we had to contact Oracle for assistance. When I first started this task, each profile took about thirty minutes to complete. However, after I gained experience and confidence, I was able to reduce the time to around five to ten minutes for each account. This improvement showed not only my technical growth but also my deeper understanding of access control, data accuracy, and the need for correct configuration.

Through this responsibility, I gained valuable insight into identity and access management in a real work environment. I learned that granting too much access can put systems at risk, while granting too little access can prevent an employee from doing their job effectively. Reaching the right balance required careful thought, attention to detail, and a strong understanding of each user’s role.

Another major area of responsibility was workstation deployment this was one of the most hands on and engaging parts of my internship, and as I described in Reflection Paper 2, I assisted with multiple workstation installations across several city buildings, with each one requiring careful preparation, strong attention to detail, and a professional attitude. Before each visit, I prepared a deployment bag that included a laptop, docking station, keyboard, mouse, Ethernet cable, DisplayPort cables, and two power adapters. This preparation made sure I had every item needed to complete the installation efficiently and without any delays.

Once I arrived on site, I connected all the hardware and checked that the workstation was working properly. This process included confirming that dual monitors displayed the way they should, testing every docking station port, and making sure the laptop had the most recent updates and security settings installed. After confirming full functionality, I collected the supervisor’s signature and uploaded all documentation into ServiceNow to close the ticket properly. I also recorded the asset tags in SharePoint to keep the inventory records current and accurate.

Through these deployments, I improved my technical troubleshooting skills, gained valuable experience providing professional and polite on-site support, and learned why consistent and organized documentation is important. This responsibility showed me how preparation and clear communication help ensure smooth and effective IT service delivery.

Two on going projects

Furthermore, during my internship, we had two big projects that included printer replacement and laptop refreshment and data migration.  The City of Virginia Beach began a large transition from its older printers to new Ricoh models, and I helped replace more than thirty printers throughout the city. This work involved installing new printer drivers, setting up badge authentication for secure printing, and fixing various connectivity problems. Many users needed direct, in person help. If someone was unavailable during the scheduled visit, I followed up through remote desktop support, Teams calls, or by scheduling another time to meet. This responsibility taught me how to communicate clearly, adjust to different user needs, and give step by step instructions so the setup was completed successfully. The project showed me how important reliability is in public sector printing systems, because these printers handle important documents used in health services, case work, and other administrative tasks. This experience also helped me understand how hardware transitions need to be done smoothly with as little disruption as possible. The laptop refreshment and data migration is another big project, this project required a great deal of preparation, including verifying asset numbers, preparing users for data migration, and making sure each employee backed up files to OneDrive correctly. During the deployment, we worked with vendors who collected old laptops and handed out the new devices. I helped users log in, restore their files, set up bookmarks, reconnect to printers, and fix application issues that came up. After each deployment, I updated SharePoint with detailed asset information to keep records accurate. This project taught me how to manage a long term effort with multiple steps, different people involved, and many technical requirements. I gained experience in data protection, cloud storage, user support, and inventory tracking, all of which are important skills in both IT and cybersecurity operations.

Real-World Insight Into Password Resets and Cybersecurity Controls 

I once saw a quote online that said, “At this point in my life, if I can’t remember my password, I just hit reset.” This quote stayed with me, especially after seeing how much password management happens in a real IT environment. Millions of passwords are reset every year, although the exact number is hard to measure. A study from Gartner reported that 20% to 50% of help desk calls are related to password resets. In addition, a study sponsored by Yubico found that the average user spends about 10.9 hours each year dealing with password problems. For an organization with 15,000 users and an average hourly wage of $32, this results in a productivity loss of around $5.2 million annually (Software, 2023).

This data showed me how serious password related issues can be, not just as a daily problem but also as a major factor that affects efficiency and overall security. Many organizations require multiple sets of credentials across different systems to reduce the risk of widespread damage if one password becomes compromised. Seeing this during my internship helped me understand that password resets are not simple tasks. Instead, they are important security measures that protect the organization from larger cyber threats.

I was also able to observe and support several layers of cybersecurity in action. Before this experience, most of my knowledge came from classroom lessons. I had learned about topics such as the CIA Triad (Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability), malware, encryption, firewalls, and authentication methods. However, applying these ideas hands on completely changed the way I understood them. From setting up Duo two-factor authentication to managing permissions in Cerner, I used core cybersecurity principles in real situations almost every day. This practical experience heightened my understanding of cybersecurity and showed me why these tools are so important for protecting sensitive systems and information.

Use of cybersecurity skills or knowledge in the internship

With that being said, the above experiences showed me that the everyday tasks such as password resets, Multifunction authentication and Cerner account setup are practical use of cybersecurity skills, not just your typical IT duties. By me assisting with  login support and permission settings I was consistently help support protect the organization from threats. Furthermore, Due to me seeing how CIA Triad was used daily by helping protect user’s account (Confidentiality), making sure user systems worked properly after migration, updates or resets (integrity), and making sure users always had access to their accounts and applications (Availability). These hands on experiences through my internship allowed me to see how the information I have been learning throughout the school year is used every day in order to keep the organization safe.

How My Schoolwork Helped Me During My Internship

Old Dominion University’s curriculum provided me with a strong foundation that prepared me for many of the tasks I completed during my internship. Courses such as Introduction to Cybersecurity, Systems Administration, and Networking Fundamentals taught me the basic principles I later applied in real situations. For example, learning how user roles and access control lists work helped me understand account provisioning. In the same way, my familiarity with Windows operating systems made it easier for me to handle monitor and workstation deployments.

Some of my classes also introduced me to Microsoft Teams and basic ticketing workflows, which helped me adjust quickly when I began using these tools in the workplace. However, the internship also introduced me to enterprise systems like Cerner Millennium and the state’s auditing platforms, which were not available in an academic setting. These systems required learning on the job, and I was able to pick up new technical skills with the support and guidance of my mentors. As I learned more, I gradually earned the trust of my team, which led to greater independence in my assignments. Over time, they allowed me to complete tasks on my own without constant supervision. This independence gave me opportunities to assist users in different buildings across the city rather than staying only in the main office. Even when I needed help, my growing comfort with Microsoft Teams allowed me to contact my supervisors and coworkers quickly and efficiently. This combination of independence and resourcefulness increased my confidence and strengthened my problem solving skills in real world IT environments.

This experience showed me the importance of continuous learning in both IT and cybersecurity. Although I had studied topics like access management and encryption in school, seeing them applied in real situations made their purpose much clearer. Understanding how access reviews support security policy compliance gave me valuable context that textbooks alone cannot provide. I also learned the value of understanding how social services and clinical program’s function, because that knowledge helped me configure access correctly and ensure staff received only the permissions they needed.

Personal and Professional Growth Through Internship Experience (detailing your motivational aspects of the role)

 Throughout this internship, I grew both personally and professionally. Every task helped me improve my technical skills, become more confident in troubleshooting, and understand how IT systems work within the organization. In addition my communication skills also has improved as I learned how to work professionally with supervisors, coworkers, and end users.

Furthermore, I have become better at documenting my work, managing multiple tasks, and solving problems on my own. These experiences showed me how significant IT and cybersecurity professionals are in keeping public services running and protecting sensitive information.

Most importantly, this internship confirmed that I want to pursue a career in cybersecurity. I gained a real appreciation for how both IT and cybersecurity supports public organizations, protects data, and helps serve the community. This experience has motivated me to continue building my skills and knowledge in the field.

Discouraging aspects of the role and challenges from the role

With also this in listed above, some people would find something discouraging and challenging, but for me I was not discouraged at all throughout my entire internship, How I did have a one or two challenging moments through my internship. For instance, creating Cerner user accounts was challenging to me because this process required me to understand and use four different applications. Each of these applications had to be updated correctly to make sure the users received the right access, and the account was created right. I also had to pay attention to all the details since leaving out a role of facility could have an effect on both the user’s workflow and security. By me switching between multiple application to verify permission made the process a little challenging, but the more tickets I received to create new users accounts the less challenging it became. In addition, due to me mainly using a mac, adjusting to windows computer was also a little challenging. I had to learn new tools, setting and troubleshooting steps in order for me to assist uses. Despite these challenges I have gained stronger technical skill and an better understanding of access management

Recommendations for Future Interns

As Eva Chen once said, “My advice for young people is, study what you love and intern in what you want to do. And I think it’s okay to pivot as many times as you need to.” Future interns in this role should embrace every opportunity to learn, even when the tasks seem small. Ask questions, take lead, and document everything. Come in with a solid understanding of both IT and cybersecurity fundamentals but stay open to learning new systems and tools the ability to adapt will set you apart. I also recommend becoming comfortable with Microsoft Excel, SharePoint, and remote access tools, as they are used persistently in IT environments. Most importantly remain professional, patient and courteous, this will take you a long way.

Conclusion

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. once stated, “A mind that is stretched by new experiences can never return to its original dimensions.” This quote perfectly captures how my internship transformed my skills, perspective, and career ambitions. Through hands-on projects, user support, system configuration, and security-focused tasks, I gained practical experience that deepened my understanding of cybersecurity and strengthened my confidence as an IT professional.

The City of Virginia Beach Human Services IT Department provided the training, mentorship, and opportunities I needed to grow into a capable and motivated cybersecurity professional. I now feel more prepared than ever to enter the workforce and contribute to the protection of critical systems and public infrastructure.

This internship shaped my professional identity, enhanced my technical abilities, and confirmed that pursuing a cybersecurity career in the public sector is the right path for me. I am grateful for the meaningful experiences, the supportive team, and the valuable lessons that I will carry with me throughout my academic journey and future career.

Reference

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.” – malcolm X. University of Newyork. (n.d.). https://features.york.ac.uk/education-is-the-passport-to-the-future-for-tomorrow-belongs-to-those-who-prepare-for-it-today-malcolm-x/index.html 

Software, S. (2023, January 25). Password reset calls are Costing your org big money.
BleepingComputer. https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/password-reset-
calls-are-costing-your-org-big-money/