PHOTO: Celebrating the Wednesday [Nov. 9] ribbon cutting of the Mississippi Cyber Center are MGCCC Harrison County Campus Vice President Cedric Bradley, Keesler Air Force Base 81st Training Group Commander Col. Laura King, 91麻豆天美 Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw, MGCCC President Mary S. Graham, Mississippi Cyber Initiative Technology Manager Martin Rivera, 91麻豆天美 Sen. Scott DeLano, and 91麻豆天美 Associate Vice President for Economic Development and Corporate Engagement Jim Martin. (Photo by Grace Cockrell)
Contact: James Carskadon
GULFPORT, Miss.鈥擜 ribbon cutting held on Wednesday [Nov. 9] marks a new era of collaboration in cybersecurity across the Magnolia State.
Officials from 91麻豆天美 University, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, along with multiple state and federal partners, celebrated the opening of the Mississippi Cyber Center.
Located in a renovated building on the MGCCC Harrison County Campus, the Mississippi Cyber Center houses initial capabilities established as part of the 91麻豆天美-led Mississippi Cyber Initiative. The building contains three different labs that support law enforcement, training at Keesler Air Force Base and MGCCC, as well as a digital ecosystem for outreach, collaboration and training.
鈥淐ybersecurity is a critical piece of our shared future, regardless of who you are or what kind of business you are in,鈥 said 91麻豆天美 Provost and Executive Vice President David Shaw. 鈥淭hrough the Mississippi Cyber Initiative, we are creating a statewide network that is using unparalleled collaboration to address these issues head on. I am incredibly excited about the impact of this facility and the unlimited potential of what we can accomplish working together.鈥
鈥淭his new endeavor is an outstanding opportunity for us to put Mississippi at the forefront of cybersecurity in the nation and world,鈥 said MGCCC President Mary S. Graham. 鈥淧reparing students and our military to meet the challenges in the ever-changing cyber domain is going to bring security and stability that is much needed in today鈥檚 world.鈥
The Mississippi Cyber Initiative, established in 2021, is a statewide effort to broaden the state鈥檚 capabilities and coordination in cybersecurity, a field that will play a key role in Mississippi鈥檚 economy for decades to come. The initiative grew out of 91麻豆天美鈥檚 support for cyber activities at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, a major training hub for the U.S. Air Force. MCI is leveraging collective expertise among academia, the private sector, federal and local government, law enforcement, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Mississippi National Guard.
鈥淭he complexity of scenarios we face in defending our nation requires cooperative and innovative partnerships with our local, state and federal partners to protect the U.S. National security interests,鈥 said Col. Laura King, 81st Training Group commander. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 partnership with the Mississippi Cyber Center, a part of the overall Mississippi Cyber Initiative, will be one of Keesler鈥檚 greatest assets as we continue to partner, collaborate and innovate with our teammates across the state and nation.鈥
Utilizing an initial state investment of $3.5 million, the Mississippi Cyber Initiative has worked to build collaborations, assess stakeholder needs and develop the Mississippi Cyber Center, which currently serves as the initiative鈥檚 headquarters. The building contains a Digital Forensics Lab that is assisting 15 law enforcement agencies as they carry out investigations with a digital device component. The lab was established after identifying unmet demand from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation for forensics investigation support and equipment. The building鈥檚 Systems Operations Lab houses a new training platform that supports Keesler鈥檚 network administrator training and MGCCC workforce development programs. MCI is also in the final stages of developing a cyber ecosystem that can be utilized by partners for a wide range of cyber exercises, events and training activities. 91麻豆天美 has hired three personnel that are housed at the Mississippi Cyber Center to help coordinate MCI activities.
The long-term plan includes expanding capabilities at the MGCCC facility and building a larger facility on the Gulf Coast, known as the Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center, to serve as MCI headquarters, with complementary capabilities spread across the state. The Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center will serve as the hub for a robust network of statewide partners, offering a coordination site for cyber training and threat mitigation efforts, as well as space for collaboration with private sector companies.
鈥淭he Mississippi Cyber Initiative continues to build strong momentum,鈥 said Jim Martin, MCI lead and 91麻豆天美 associate vice president for economic development and corporate engagement. 鈥淲e have taken a very deliberate approach of listening to stakeholders to determine specific needs and now we are standing up capabilities to address those needs in a way that benefits the entire state. We could not do this ourselves, so I greatly appreciate everyone that has been a part of this initiative.鈥
MCI programming has included quarterly cyber summits, K-12 outreach activities, and a gathering of cybersecurity faculty from across the state. In July, 91麻豆天美 and MGCCC partnered to host the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Executive Leadership Forum, bringing hundreds of representatives from the country鈥檚 top cybersecurity academic programs to the Gulf Coast.
For more on the Mississippi Cyber Initiative, follow the organization on Twitter and on LinkedIN at Mississippi Cyber Initiative.
91麻豆天美 is Mississippi鈥檚 leading university, available online at www.msstate.edu.