The Department of Homeland Security insists that the "security and resilience of [this] critical infrastructure is vital not only to public confidence, but also to the Nation's safety, prosperity, and well-being".
This begs the question...
Whose job is it to shore up the private sector's cybersecurity defenses?
The American Way of Life
Critical Infrastructure and Essential Services
November is Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience (CISR) Month. It is essential to understand that the Nation's critical infrastructure continuously provides essential services which sustain the American way of life including the electric power we use in our homes and businesses, the transportation systems that get us from place to place, the first responders and hospitals in our communities, the farms that grow and raise our food, the water we drink or the stores we shop in, as well as the Internet and communication systems we rely on to connect to our broad networks.
Thanks to the dedication and hard work of all our speakers, panelists, sponsors and volunteers, the Cyber Ready 2016 conference hosted October 18 at MacDill AFB was a great success!
Cyber Ready 2016 Discussion Panel
Richard Dean - United States Secret Service; Derek Plensky - Chief Strategy Officer, Semantic Research Inc.; Colin Arnold - Director of Academic Affairs, National Cyber Partnership; Scott Carr - Dean of Advanced Technology, Keiser University; John Fay - Director of Corporate Development, Abacode; Gregory Scasny - CEO, Cybersecurity Defense Solutions
The Buzz and Cyber Ready Florida
With over 120 total attendees, our 11 speakers generated a sense of community and opened many eyes to the issues we face today. The buzz of hot button discussions between attendees, presenters and panelists throughout the 12 hour conference saw many come together to share their ideas and perspectives. Sparks caught and the beginnings of an aware and committed community were birthed. Representatives of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity expressed excitement about the next Cyber Ready event, and interest in supporting the National Cyber Partnership's statewide campaign to build a "Cyber Ready" Florida.
October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) and the National Cyber Partnership is proud to announce that we are championing NSCAM to further both awareness of the cyber challenges we face today and the ways we can all participate in securing our devices and the internet we all share together.
An exciting event is just around the corner, our first annual Cyber Ready 2016 Cybersecurity Conference will be held on Tuesday, October 18th at Surf's Edge Club, MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa Florida.
Kicking off on Monday the 17th with a day of Golf and a barbecue dinner, and the Sixth Annual MITRE National Capture the Flag (CTF) Competition Cyber Challenge Awards Ceremony taking place on the 18th , this conference is building up to be one you don't want to miss.
Cybersecurity today is an increasingly important and relevant industry; involving the technologies, practices and processes which are designed to protect networks, computers and private data from attack or infiltration. Cybercriminals and cyber-terrorists who are unfriendly to our government create a demand for a highly skilled workforce in cybersecurity. Meeting this demand is one of the National Cyber Partnerships primary goals. And where there is high demand for highly skilled employees, there is intense competition!