Cybersecurity? #yesphx is more than meets the eye.
You might have heard of the five C’s of Arizona. It’s an old school commerce phrase defining Arizona’s economic forces as Copper, Cattle, Cotton, Citrus, and Climate. There is a group of us working diligently to make Cyber the sixth C of Arizona as part of our state’s future growth.
The tricky thing about folks in cybersecurity, or more specifically those in IT security (the term many in the industry prefer), is that they’re not in the PR business. That’s where advocates like myself and others have our work cut out for us.
It’s true that there are thousands of cybersecurity roles going unfilled in our Valley. And while one company may have chosen to relocate for its own reasons as Ms. Hardaway mentioned in her article “Cybersecurity Warriors Needed Now”, it’s more often the case that companies choose to the Valley of the Sun to relocate and build their IT security teams. Companies like Kudelski Security, McKesson, and Tech Data have made recent moves here to Arizona, which means major investment in Phoenix.
Startups have caught on that cybersecurity is one of the fastest growing industries. I wrote this article to be a plethora of resources for you and your business, and your family. You probably noticed, the US mainstream media has finally begun to acknowledge the volume of attacks against businesses and individuals. If you’re interested in a free resource to test the security of your product or learn more about security then be sure to check out the “Range” which I discuss below.
Phoenix’s race to build Cyber is driven by a few key groups. The Arizona Cyber Warfare Range volunteers have been the leaders of these efforts since 2014. Additionally, the Arizona State Cyber Workforce Consortium is led by Cyber Security Canyon in partnership with CPLC, Inc. to unify efforts and work with the Workforce Collaborative Phoenix Forward >>, the Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce’s economic development initiative in partnership with Arizona Tech Council.
The Consortium was awarded the Southwest regional grant of the Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate (RAMPS) for cybersecurity education and workforce development from National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) to unify our state by combining the already ongoing efforts of groups like the Arizona Cyber Warfare Range, Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce, and other local professional groups and meetups.
Sound familiar Phoenix? These disparate efforts have their outcomes magnified by working together! Cybersecurity awareness and training is non-zero-sum game. We all can win by working together.
These are the primary focuses of the Arizona Statewide Cyber Workforce Consortium with the overall goal of replicating these efforts across Arizona.
K-12: to promote and align cybersecurity education through the advancing of technical education standards — Caitlin Derr (TEALS of Microsoft Microsoft Philanthropies) has brought leadership to these efforts.
Higher Education: to promote and align curriculum through collaboration with industry— Thomas Polliard (Estrella Mountain Community College) and a team of collaborators led by Cathleen Barton recently completed a CAE review facilitated by Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. Eric Case (University of Arizona) and Heather Monthie (Grand Canyon University) were pivotal in forming the grant and are leading higher education efforts across the state with other leaders.
Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce: through the ongoing efforts of the Phoenix Forward >> Workforce Collaborative the Chamber promotes an economic ecosystem continually creating cybersecurity positions at all levels. The Chamber through Jennifer Mellor, Katelyn Harris Lange, and Cathleen Barton, have been a major advocates of the Consortium.
Workforce Readiness: chair Rachel Harpley (Recruit Bit) has promoted diversity and workforce development through the creation of technical apprenticeships as well as the newly formed group to advance Arizona women in cybersecurity dubbed Advancing Arizona Athenas. Through these efforts Ed Vasko, CEO of Terra Verde, rolled out the first Registered Apprenticeship in cybersecurity.
Want to get involved? Learn more at www.arizonacyber.org or download our info sheet here. At the end of the grant as we approach 2018, these efforts will continue under Cyber Security Canyon. Contact me or the Project Coordinator David Hernandez to get involved!
Curious about what kind of cybersecurity events are happening around town? The Consortium facilitated the creation and ongoing enhancements of a calendar to collect all of these events in one place. Go to www.swcse.com to see what’s happening or add your event.
Free resources for individuals and businesses!
When it comes to training a fleet of pros the Arizona Cyber Warfare Range is second to none. It is the state’s first public Range providing volunteers access to real equipment and knowledgeable volunteers. The Range works directly with the AZ InfraGard — an alliance between industry and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, and the Range supports efforts of the Department of Homeland Security as well as other agencies. Through the City of Mesa, the Arizona Cyber Warfare Range has a home on the secure grounds of AZ Labs.
As it stands the Range serves all levels of IT folks, both entry-level and senior IT professionals have advanced their careers by participating. While the Range is open to all skill levels it is not a place where everyone will feel comfortable. Both the space and people are loud and crude. The humor is dark, sarcastic, and loaded — yet everything they do and say has a purpose. These are highly intelligent people navigating the deep and dark web to find missing children, rescue victims of sex trafficking, and more. They deal with the worst of the worst to protect and inform others. They have seen countless untold things that humans have done and still care for others and the future of our nation. The volunteers earnestly want to share their knowledge and skills, they are genuine and helpful to those who are curious about security and safety.
Everyone involved in the Range is a volunteer; it is the epitome of a do-acracy. Even those wanting to learn are self-propelled people eager to absorb information and innovative technologies. The Range creates an exponential opportunity for learning on real equipment and provides access to enterprise-level environments at no charge to volunteers. I am the volunteer Range Recruiter focused on workforce development and career planning. My talk “Hacking for Hired” covers topics like resumes and interview skills.
For startups and established companies with tech products the Range is a free resource to test your security. The volunteers have tested a plethora of websites, applications, infrastructure, and mobile apps. The Range does not provide certification but will discuss the vulnerabilities found and make suggestions for changes. This type of testing can cost your company six figures, yet giving this back to the community serves the Range’s mission by both spreading security awareness and giving Range volunteers exposure to a variety of technology.
For the greater public the Arizona Cyber Warfare Range is on LinkedIn and Meetup, and for those who want to learn more — either regarding general cybersecurity questions or for questions on the Range’s self-guided resources go to Google+. This information and more is on the Arizona Cyber Warfare Range website.
While this Medium article was written to share a collection of information on the various efforts to advance cybersecurity in the Valley, this article cannot presume to be the sole source of information.
If you are contributing to these efforts or know of other related efforts not mentioned, please comment and share here.
