Smith School Hosts Federal, State, Industry Leaders in Cybersecurity Forum

Each day, Google Maps transfers so much data it is measured in petabytes (that’s a digit with 15 zeros behind it). And that’s just the Maps platform of the Internet giant. With all of this data being transferred through cyberspace, security is a big issue. According to experts the focus should be on securing entire platforms, rather than individual servers with applications, to really secure the flow of data in the cyber supply chain. How to tackle this issue was the topic of discussion at the May 26 CyberMaryland Forum, held at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Leaders from federal and state government joined academics and industry practitioners in the half-day session.

More than 65 participants attend the forum, which was hosted by the Tech Council of Maryland, supported by the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development (DBED), and sponsored by the Smith School, the University of Maryland Office of Research, law firm Morrison & Foerster, and industry partners SAIC, CDW, IT Solutions, and NETCONN Solutions. The University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science also participated.

Research professor Sandor Boyson, co-director of the Smith School’s Supply Chain Management Center, organized a panel on public/private partnerships for securing the IT supply chain. Boyson brought together representatives from SAIC, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Security Agency to talk about the ways their organizations are working to address information security.

“The cyber supply chain is a competitive advantage for the United States,” said Boyson. “We have to ensure it remains an advantage with an effective strategy for global supply chain risk management.”

Along with Hart Rossman, chief technology office for cybersecurity systems at SAIC, Boyson and the Supply Chain Management Center developed a business-process template for organizations to assess the risk in their cyber supply chains, and then manage that risk. The Smith School continues to explore ways to impact cybersecurity for the government and industry. Boyson and co-authors Lisa Harrington and professor Thomas Corsi, co-director of the Supply Chain Management Center, have a book on the topic coming out in August that compiles input from leading organizations on cyber supply chain risk management.

The Smith School is well-positioned as leader in cybersecurity for the supply chain and adds to the state’s leadership in the area. According to the Department of Business and Economic Development, the state leads the nation in information technology jobs, thanks to the high concentration of software and technology companies, plus federal facilities, the Department of Defense, and leading research institutions. This translates to jobs and economic growth for Maryland.