RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech University, in collaboration with the Cyber Innovation Center in Bossier City, La., is pleased to announce the establishment of the Louisiana Cyber and Data Consortium (LACDC). The Consortium represents a broad range of constituencies with interests in the security and protection of cyber assets and related threats, in storage and management and us of large data sets for analytical and business decisions.
The purpose of the LACDC is to provide a platform for understanding and addressing the issues that affect the growth and sustained prosperity of the data center and software industries in Louisiana and the nation, and to share operational and technical concepts, technologies, and methodologies. It will also support the establishment and growth of related education and training programs within the state, networking with professionals and leaders in government, industry and academia, and to assist the state Department of Economic Development in economic development and commercial growth of this industry sector.
Consortium members will include representatives from Fortune 500 companies and small businesses, representing the many facets of the cyber domain. In addition, institutions of higher education from across the state will also participate so that the consortium can leverage and build upon the existing cyber education and research capabilities of our state to not only better support Louisiana businesses but to also enhance our cyber infrastructure and address national cyber needs.
"The importance of Louisiana Tech's partnerships and collaborations with organizations such as these cannot be overstated," said Louisiana Tech President Les Guice. "Nearly every facet of our lives today is dependent on a strong and secure cyber infrastructure. Louisiana Tech is focused on preparing students and graduating professionals that can meet the needs of these industry-leading companies while contributing to the work that groups like the LACDC are doing to preserve the integrity of our cyber assets."
LACDC leaders say that as society becomes more and more interconnected, there are increasing interdependencies and vulnerabilities to our physical and information systems. Given Louisiana's position as a major global port and source of energy, chemicals, and goods for the nation, the impacts of cyber attacks on state's assets could be a threat to national security. The LACDC will support these traditional industries in the State of Louisiana as well as the burgeoning data center and software development industries
"As society becomes more and more dependent on the cyber domain, there's an ever increasing number of interdependencies and vulnerabilities to our critical infrastructure," said Craig Spohn, president of the Cyber Innovation Center. "It's imperative that industry, government, and academia join forces to tackle these problems in order to ensure our future economic dominance and national security."
The LACDC will serve as a vehicle for sharing information between Louisiana's key industries, academic institutions, and government agencies with a goal of creating a greater awareness of threats, challenges, and best practices for cyber security and data center organizations.
"New, evolving and constant attacks from cyberspace threaten our businesses, national security and economic growth," said U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu. "We must continue to invest in defending against these threats with bold and innovative solutions. By creating a public-private partnership that brings together businesses, universities and government agencies, the Louisiana Cyber Consortium can serve as a model for the rest of the country by connecting the necessary assets to protect the country from threats in cyber space while spurring cyber and information technology innovation.
"This consortium is helping to grow the Cyber footprint throughout Louisiana, and I look forwarding to working closely with this group to bring federal and private sector partners to our state."
LACDC will meet approximately once per quarter for presentations and discussions with their first meeting scheduled for April 22 on the campus of Louisiana Tech.