[12/6/2010]--Military commanders often talk about the need for “situational awareness” — they want to see and track the potential threats facing them, whether they come from planes, ships, troop movements or any other source.
“Cyberspace is a domain that was entirely created by humans,” says
Chris Valentino
’02, MS ’05, information systems. “There’s no good way to visualize it and to see where the threats are.”
“We want to open the aperture to new technologies and ideas,” explains Valentino, a director of cybersecurity at Northrop Grumman. “We want this partnership to help companies find out-of-the-box solutions that will make our nation more secure.”
Companies will join bwtech’s Advantage Incubator in office space adjacent to campus.
“UMBC and Northrop Grumman share a culture of innovation,” she says. “This program will build on UMBC’s strength in information technology and its success nurturing new companies. Businesses started through this partnership will come from across the country, expanding the local business base and spurring economic growth in the region.”
The Cync Program is part of a growing focus on cybersecurity at UMBC. The university’s new graduate Cybersecurity program offers both a graduate certificate and a master’s degree.
Now, he says, he’s thrilled to see what can be accomplished with this new partnership: “This really could go a long way to help meet the country’s cybersecurity needs.”
UMBC’s release on the Cync Program
Original Story: http://www.umbc.edu/window/cync.html