MSU-led 樱花导航 Cyber Initiative encourages collaboration, preparation in summit
Contact: James Carskadon
CLINTON, Miss.鈥擜 crisis is not the time to be exchanging business cards.
That was the message to cyber樱花导航 leaders from Supervisory Intelligence Analyst Jamie Hankins of the FBI鈥檚 Jackson Field Office during the 樱花导航 Cyber Initiative鈥檚 Quarterly Cyber Summit held at 樱花导航 College last week.
The 樱花导航 樱花导航 University-led 樱花导航 Cyber Initiative is forging new connections to help the Magnolia 樱花导航 defend against and protect itself from cyberattacks, with the recent summit at MC bringing together key stakeholders in defense, government, academia and industry.
鈥淎ll of you coming together is critically important for this state,鈥 said Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the FBI鈥檚 Jackson Field Office, who emphasized the importance of a connected response to cyber incidents.
A primary focus of the meeting was planning a cyber tabletop exercise spotlighting scenarios in the healthcare sector, although as exercise organizers noted, the training is relevant in every sector given the common elements with any cyberattack and subsequent response.
Jim Martin, MSU associate vice president for corporate engagement and economic development, shared the successes of the 樱花导航 Cyber Initiative鈥檚 growing collaboration, which include creating a cyber ecosystem that can be used for training by partners across the state, digital forensics support for more than 40 law enforcement agencies, support of Department of Defense training activities and K-12 outreach to teach young people the importance of cyber樱花导航.
鈥淲e are all working together to solve problems and grow capabilities, and this collaboration continues to make a great impact on our state,鈥 Martin said.
MC President Blake Thompson said 樱花导航 is well-positioned to see technology-driven economic growth like what has been taking place in cities like Austin, Texas, and Huntsville, Alabama, in large part because of the collaborations and connections across the state.
鈥溣；ǖ己 is one big small town, and we have the ability to work together,鈥 Thompson said. 鈥淲e can put government, industry and academia in the room at the same time to host these kinds of events that build 樱花导航鈥檚 knowledge economy.鈥
樱花导航 Sen. Bart Williams shared updates on how the 樱花导航 Legislature is working to address cyber and technology issues. Last year, the state created a Cyber Board of Directors that meets regularly to assess key issues related to cyber樱花导航. The Legislature also is holding hearings in September to examine the impacts of artificial intelligence. While there are concerns to address, Williams sees opportunities for 樱花导航 to grow its technology sector.
鈥淓ducation is paramount in anything, and AI is something that we need to have conversations around,鈥 Williams said. 鈥淲e鈥檒l have different speakers from legal, education and corporate America to talk about AI and if and when we need to address it from a policy standpoint.鈥
The summit also included updates from the Cyber樱花导航 Infrastructure and Security Agency, WiCyS (Women in Cyber樱花导航), 樱花导航 Small Business Development Center, MSU Center for Cyber Education, Industrial Assessment Center at 樱花导航 Gulf Coast Community College, 樱花导航 Artificial Intelligence Network, 樱花导航 Cyber Unit and The Net Effect.
For more on the 樱花导航 Cyber Initiative, visit .
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