NIST Takes the Lead in Cybersecurity

February 12, 2016

Categories: Thought Leadership

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If you’re a CNSI blog reader then you have undoubtedly heard us talk about cybersecurity. The topic is nearly ubiquitous and for good reason. According to studies, cybersecurity incidents are up 38 percent since just 2014, costing the U.S. economy between $300 billion and $1 trillion.

A snapshot of health care cybersecurity is even scarier: there have been 1,282 attacks affecting more than 143.3 million individuals since 2009. Attacks on health care organizations are growing at a faster rate than other industries for one simple reason: medical information is valuable. In fact, medical data is worth 450 times more than a social security number, once thought to be the holy grail of personal information.

These statistics are sobering, but there is good news. In the middle of last year, President Obama announced his cybersecurity proposal, which put the administration’s support behind a range of cybersecurity policies. Foremost in the proposal was information sharing. The idea is that private sector needs to share cyber threat information so it can be analyzed and responded to by the might of the federal government. 

Enter the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE), located right here in Montgomery County, Maryland. On February 8th, Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski, a chief advocate of the project, cut the ribbon the expanded 60,000 square-foot facility. The NCCoE, part of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, will be a hub of cybersecurity innovation and information sharing dedicated to making sure American industry is secure and thriving.

The D.C., Maryland, Virginia (DMV) area has long been considered a tech hub, ranking third in the country in a study of regions with the most high-tech businesses. So the installation of the facility in Montgomery County comes as no surprise. As one of the anchors of the DMV tech corridor, we at CNSI say welcome! We’re excited to get involved and see what kind of innovative ideas NCCoE develops—not to mention the top-tier technology talent the facility brings to the area.

What do you think about public-private partnerships that contribute to cybersecurity? Join the conversation by finding us on Twitter @CNSICorp.