Dépêches

First-of-a-Kind Collaborative Cyber Center Formed in New England

Dépèche transmise le 21 septembre 2011 par Business Wire

BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than 200 leaders from industry, academia, and government joined Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Attorney General Martha Coakley on September 20 for the official launch of the Advanced Cyber Security Center (ACSC). An initiative of Mass Insight Global Partnerships hosted at The MITRE Corporation in Bedford, Mass., the Center is a next-generation collaboration of industry, university, and government research partners, in which the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a charter member. It enables operational, real-time data-sharing about advanced cyber threats and establishes a platform for industry researchers to engage New England’s world-class research universities in a new model for collaborative research and development (R&D) and education partnerships.

“As we see more of these attacks every year, it’s important that private industries, law enforcement, and regulators work collaboratively through initiatives like the Advanced Cyber Security Center to help protect consumers’ identity and finances.”

Founded in 2010 at MITRE, the ACSC is the product of a three-year development effort that began with a Mass Insight/McKinsey study on the IT and defense sectors in Massachusetts. The Center leverages the region’s significant resources to expand the information technology (IT) sector and support other major IT-dependent sectors such as financial services, defense, healthcare and utilities, and to play a national role in developing solutions to cyber threats. The ACSC also positions Massachusetts and the New England region to compete for talent and jobs in this critical area of economic and national security.

“With our extraordinary intellectual assets across industry, research universities, and government, New England has the opportunity to be a national cyber security leader, competing for R&D, talent, industry, and jobs,” said Bill Guenther, president of Mass Insight Global Partnerships. “The ACSC’s collaborative model will help the region stake a new claim to national IT leadership and will help our organizations defend against the most sophisticated cyber attackers.”

The Center brings together expert practitioners and researchers to conduct threat analysis and share best practices under a Non-Disclosure Agreement, to develop R&D solutions to improve cyber defenses and address cyber security gaps, and to expand graduate education opportunities for new talent in the cyber security field. Major milestones to date include the launch of a secure Web Portal for member information-sharing and access to key data, an ongoing “Cyber Tuesday” program to build personal relationships among front-line IT staff, and a bi-monthly series of Technical Exchange Meetings. A large scale R&D plan produced in partnership with major universities is in process through a strategy consultant and is expected by the end of 2011.

“As home to many leading research and academic facilities, the Commonwealth has a long tradition of major contributions to national security technologies,” said Governor Patrick. “This organization’s federal and national partnerships will extend our region’s influence in these technologies and help enhance cyber security across the nation to ensure the safety of our citizens.”

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Roadmap for Cybersecurity Research, cyber attacks are increasing in frequency and impact. Every public and private sector organization with an IT infrastructure that hosts sensitive information is at risk, and critical infrastructure that drives the nation’s economy is in danger of attack.

“Cyber attacks and data breaches are a threat to our security, and increasingly, to our economy,” said Attorney General Coakley. “As we see more of these attacks every year, it’s important that private industries, law enforcement, and regulators work collaboratively through initiatives like the Advanced Cyber Security Center to help protect consumers’ identity and finances.”

In addition to keynotes by Governor Patrick and Attorney General Coakley, the day-long event featured presentations and panels by nationally recognized information security experts and a video presentation by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse addressing the topics of advanced cyber threats, federal priorities, industry-university partnerships, and the opportunity for New England to be a leader in responding to the most sophisticated cyber threats. For more information on the conference: http://www.massinsight.com/initiatives/cyber_security_center/acsc-launch-conference/

For more information on the Center, including the list of Steering Committee members and the Strategic Advisory Board: http://www.massinsight.com/initiatives/cyber_security_center/

About Mass Insight Global Partnerships (www.massinsight.com)

Mass Insight Global Partnerships, founded in 1989, is a Boston-based consulting and research firm that builds strategic pre-competitive alliances between higher education, industry and government, both regionally and globally.

About The MITRE Corporation (www.mitre.org)

The MITRE Corporation is a not-for-profit organization that provides systems engineering, research and development, and information technology support to the government. It operates federally funded research and development centers for the Department of Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, with principal locations in Bedford, Mass., and McLean, Va.