Our team set out to get us aligned
around a central framework that
mapped directly to the typical steps in a
cyberattack chain, and what we ended
up with was a completely open, not
custom approach to protecting against
cyberattacks that anyone can use.
Larry Wilson
Chief Information Security Officer
for the UMASS President’s Office
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS
The Growing Demand for Cybersecurity
Professionals
Cybersecurity and privacy are critical issues in our information-driven and
knowledge-based economy. As a nation, we are failing to develop the workforce that
we need today to protect our institutions, our governments and our corporations
against advanced cyberattacks. The numbers of security professionals have not kept
up with the demand, leaving a gap in fundamental skills to build adequate
safeguards into our nation’s critical infrastructure.
the work of research universities nationwide.
For more information on the cybersecurity task
force initiatives, please visit the following URL:
https://www.umassp.edu/cybersecurity
Network (MCIEN) to provide internship and job
opportunities for students across the system.
Initiatives that Support the Plan
Consistent with the cybersecurity task force
The task force recommendations focused on
recommendations, the university has made
academic instruction and industry / govern-
significant progress in establishing academic
The University of Massachusetts
and region, as well as what it would take to
ment partnerships at a variety of levels: CISSP
programs, student pathways and industry
Cybersecurity Task Force
move forward, and to make recommendations
(Certified Information Systems Security Profes-
relationships. Some of the recent initiatives
on next steps in this direction. The task force
sional) type certificate programs, 2+2 commu-
are outlined below:
published specific recommendations intended
nity college transfer programs, undergraduate
to launch a leadership role for the university
/ graduate degree programs along lines defined
to help address the cybersecurity needs of the
by the NSA and DHS, and the creation of a Mas-
Commonwealth and contribute significantly to
sachusetts Cybersecurity Industry-Education
In 2014, the University of Massachusetts
formed a cybersecurity task force to assess the
university’s academic capabilities in the area
of cybersecurity, to understand how the university is positioned within the Commonwealth
16
|
CURRENT 2015-2016
•
In December, 2014, the Business-Higher
Education Forum (BHEF) announced the
creation of the Massachusetts Cybersecurity
Stronger Together
|
17