CybersecurityDelaware launches cyber initiative

Delaware is joining the number of states that have decided to invest in a statewide cybersecurity workforce to combat the growing threat of cyberattacks directed at both private and public institutions. In his January State of the State speech, Governor Jack Markell announced plans for the Delaware Cyber Initiative (DCI) to connect academia, cybersecurity workers, and businesses. The demand for skilled cybersecurity workers far outweigh the supply, and hackers continue to attack network systems as local government agencies try to recruit top talent.

Government Technology reports that just two years ago, South Carolina experienced its largest cyberattack to date when hackers broke into the state’s Department of Revenue computer system, exposing approximately 3.6 million Social Security numbers and 387,000 credit and debit card numbers.  The attack cost the state $14 million and a damaged the government’s reputation with state residents.

Delaware hopes its cyber initiative will accelerate current efforts to develop a stronger cyber workforce. The DCI proposes $3 million for a collaborative learning and research network in the form of part research lab, part business park, dedicated to cyber innovation. The University of Delaware, Delaware State University, Delaware Technical Community College, and private institutions will develop the lab on the site of a former Chrysler assembly plant currently owned by the University of Delaware.

The proposed park, located halfway between New York City and Washington, D.C., and in close proximity to an Amtrak train station, makes it marketable as a regional cybersecurity workforce recruiting hub. “There’s a significant number of jobs available for cyber graduates in the area,” said Ann Visalli, the state’s director of the Office of Management and Budget. Visalli notes that the initiative will cater to large employers like Delaware’s DuPont chemical company, but also to the state’s banking and financial services sectors. Most important is that the initiative will allow government agencies to recruit cybersecurity professionals from the same pool available to private firms. “State government can’t keep up on its own with what’s going on in the world of technology,” said Visalli. “We think this initiative is a continued step in the direction to identify and attract top talent.”

GovTechnotes that the state has also recruited the Delaware National Guard as a resource for the DCI, part of a slow but growing trend among states and the federal government to deploy the National Guard to direct federal cyber resources to states. Washington and Michigan has already deployed their National Guard forces to help coordinate cybersecurity exercises (see“National Guard units help states ward off cyberattacks,” HSNW, 3 February 2014).