eSentire Supports Modern Security Skills Development with Award of Fifth Annual Sean Hennessy Bursary

eSentire, the Authority in AI-powered Managed Detection and Response (MDR), today announced the recipient of its fifth annual Sean Hennessy Bursary, awarded in partnership with the Department of Computer Science at Munster Technological University (MTU).

The award goes to Bartosz Lipinski, who is currently studying BSc (Hons) in IT Management and Cybersecurity (MT805) at MTU. The programme provides students with the knowledge, skills and competencies in IT infrastructure and cybersecurity and is designed around five key strategic pillars; Cybersecurity, Networking, Cloud Computing Technologies, Automation, and IT Management.

The bursary supports students pursuing careers in cybersecurity, helping to address the ongoing and growing skills shortage across the industry as well as recognising outstanding academic achievement in the field of cybersecurity. With an estimated 299,000 security roles to fill according to ENISA data, supporting students to be ready to enter the cyber workforce is essential.

Delivering Support for Early-Career Cybersecurity Professionals

The eSentire Sean Hennessy Bursary provides financial support and a structured internship opportunity within eSentire’s international headquarters and Security Operations Centre(SOC) in Cork, giving the successful student practical, hands-on experience working in eSentire’s global security operations teams.

Now in its fifth year, the Sean Hennessy Bursary continues to build a strong pipeline of future security professionals, with previous recipients progressing into full-time cybersecurity roles and further professional development with eSentire. Of the four previous bursary recipients, two are full time Tier II SOC Analysts in eSentire’s Global SOC Team. The third recipient is working with eSentire part time while completing his final year studies at MTU and the fourth joined the company as an Intern from January 2026 until September 2026.

“The Sean Hennessy Bursary represents something that has been part of eSentire’s culture since our very first days in Cork. Our approach is based on developing people with long-term career pathways, opening the door for more people to succeed in cybersecurity. As we have expanded our international operations and our SOC team, this bursary remains one of the most meaningful ways we can honour our colleague Sean’s legacy and invest in the next generation of security professionals. This is a crucial element in our model of recruiting, training, and retaining top cybersecurity talent that can respond to attacks on behalf of our customers,” said Ciaran Luttrell, Vice President of Global Security Operations, eSentire.

“Getting this award is a great first step for me in my career. Knowing that I will have the opportunity to work in a real-world environment and put what I have learned so far into practice is something that is incredibly valuable when you are right at the start of your profession. I’ve spoken to the other winners of this bursary, who all still work at eSentire, and their experience over the past few years made it clear how useful this bursary was for them as well,” said Bartosz Lipinski, 2026 Sean Hennessy Bursary recipient.

“Industry collaboration is critical to all of the programmes and modules at MTU. Cybersecurity is a rapidly evolving field, and sustained engagement with industry ensures our students remain aligned with current developments, emerging risks, and shifting regulatory and operational requirements. Working with eSentire on how our students learn and gain experience is a vital element in that process and this collaboration is essential to stay at the cutting edge of technology and security. Our leadership team works with eSentire and other companies to continually refresh and update our curriculum so our students can meet the demands for skills that companies have. Our approach prepares students for life-long learning and a framework to succeed in their careers, so they are ‘Workplace Ready’ right from the start,” commented Dr George O’Mahony, Head of Department of Computer Science, Munster Technological University.

Developing Skills for Cybersecurity in Context

• In the 2025 ENISA NIS Investments research report, European organisations face difficulties in attracting cybersecurity professionals (76 percent) and retaining them (71 percent).
  • The challenge around skills and retention is intensified by a shortage of skilled professionals and fierce competition for that talent. High turnover further reinforces this gap, raising risk and reshaping staffing strategies.
  • The estimated gap between the number of candidates and available roles is estimated to be 299,000 within the EU.
• Cybersecurity education is an increasingly important pathway for people to develop their careers in cyber.
  • According to ISC2’s 2025 Cybersecurity Workforce Report, 23 percent of those between the ages of 21 and 29 got into cybersecurity careers based on education, compared to only 13 percent of those between the ages of 30 and 44 and 6 percent of those between the ages of 45 and 59.
  • From the survey, 59 percent of companies said they had critical or significant skill needs in their organisations in 2025, compared to only 44 percent the previous year.
• Access to skills is an issue according to Cyber Ireland, the organisation that represents the cybersecurity industry in Ireland and is headquartered at MTU.
  • In its Cyber Ireland Pulse Survey for 2025, talent, recruitment and upskilling was flagged as a top challenge that would affect 48 percent of companies. This was second on the list of issues companies faced alongside the cost of doing business, and behind revenue / sales growth at 54 percent.
• In the World Economic Forum Global Cybersecurity Outlookreport for 2026, access to cyber skills and talent was one of the top three issues holding companies back from achieving their resilience goals.
  • 45 percent of companies stated that lack of cyber skills and talent affected their resilience planning, behind only third party and supply chain issues (46 percent) and rapid emerging innovations and new technologies (61 percent).

“Working to achieve overall career development starts with who you hire, what kind of career path you develop for them, and how you make them want to stay with your organisation. Signposting how you can develop and learn in your current environment is a necessary investment. It’s an area that our bursary feeds into, but it can’t stop at that point. With the advent of AI for SOC teams, getting the right framework in place is essential to make your staff feel valued as well as productive,” explained Luttrell.

“At MTU, we combine strong theoretical foundations with practical, hands-on skills so students understand not just what to do, but why it matters. As AI transforms cybersecurity, we emphasise critical thinking, problem solving, and the ability to reason in uncertainty. Without that ability to learn, to anticipate problems and respond to the evolving cybersecurity landscape, students and early career IT professionals can find themselves not able to adapt.

We recognise that cybersecurity is not a one-time qualification but a lifelong learning journey. Professionals must continuously update their knowledge to respond to emerging threats, regulatory change, and rapid advances in areas such as AI-driven attack and defence techniques. MTU provides flexible, university-accredited short courses and micro-credentials, designed in close collaboration with industry, to support continuous upskilling. By focusing on strong fundamentals, adaptability, and continuous professional development, MTU prepares students and practitioners not just to react to the latest trend, but to lead in an AI-enabled future,” added O’Mahony.

About the Sean Hennessy Bursary

• The Sean Hennessy Bursary was created to recognise academic excellence and to provide meaningful industry experience to students studying computer science and related disciplines at Munster Technological University.
• The programme combines financial support with a paid internship at eSentire’s international headquarters and Security Operations Centre (SOC) in Cork.
• The bursary honours the legacy of Sean Hennessy, a highly respected member of eSentire who played a key role in establishing the company’s operations in Cork. Under his leadership, the team expanded rapidly to support customers around their security operations and incident response programmes.
• Today, the company protects more than two thousand organisations in 80+ countries across 35 industries. Supporting the bursary over the last five years reflects eSentire’s long-standing commitment to investing in developing early-career cybersecurity talent and strengthening Ireland’s security ecosystem.
• The previous four recipients of the Sean Hennessy Bursary have all had full-time experience in the eSentire SOC, leading to full-time roles. They have all enjoyed their time and remain as employees developing their careers successfully around cybersecurity.