Digital transformation is occurring at a rapid pace. Are you ready? The Center for Public Safety and Cybersecurity can help.

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September 27, 2018

Cybersecurity and IT professionals are at a pivotal time as digital transformation is occurring at a rapid pace and your readiness to manage the top five applications of your organization is more important than ever.  Cybersecurity will remain a hot topic, but understanding how to implement the NIST framework and the proper controls on the network is imperative.  

I attended the GSX2018 and Infragard Conference in Las Vegas last week.  This is the largest security conference in the World and has one of the largest vendor areas I have ever seen.  The cutting edge of the future of security products are on display from high definition security camera technology with built in analytics to anti-drone systems for combatting drone intrusion and attack scenarios.  

The emergence of digital transformation as a driver to force organizations to seek out and manage their software acquisitions in a timely and strategic manner with cybersecurity at the forefront of this mindset.  Artificial intelligence as a tool for cyber education is on display along with VR for creating real-life scenario training for first responders.  

It is clear that our new Center for Public Safety and Cybersecurity Education is such a timely project to be undertaking.  The existence of these two large spheres and their growing overlap is never more apparent than at this particular conference.  I have been in sessions on migration to the cloud and security implications, artificial intelligence and machine learning, implementing the NIST framework, an FBI briefing on the Las Vegas shooting, and other highly relevant and trendy topics for what our center is trying to accomplish:

• Just in time technical and managerial education for public safety and cybersecurity professionals that follows the lifecycle of their careers.
• Pathways to credit programming including undergraduate and graduate degrees that are relevant to these fields
• Research and consulting on practical applications of technology, cybersecurity, and public safety.
•  Building collaborations and partnerships with local, regional, national, and global organizations to acquire, disseminate, and facilitate knowledge about these topics as rapidly as possible.

What are your organizations deliverables on these topics?  What are you doing to combat data security and the digital transformation?

Jonathan McCombs, Ph.D.
Dean of the College of Health and Public Administration 
Co-Executive Director of the Center for Public Safety and Cybersecurity Education
Franklin University
Urbana University