Representatives from St. Louis area startups, small businesses and nonprofits gathered on campus recently to discuss the cyber security services they receive free of charge thanks to Ä¢¹½´«Ã½.<\/p>\n
The services are provided by Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ cyber security<\/a> students working in the state-of-the-art Cyber Fusion Center (CFC)<\/a>. The Center is managed by faculty experts and staffed by teams of students enrolled in designated cyber security classes. Services include penetration testing, vulnerability management, digital forensics and cyber threat monitoring.<\/p>\n Cyber security is an important issue for these organizations because many do not have the budgetary or personnel resources to meet the growing need for data protection. Without that protection in place, a loss of information could be catastrophic.<\/p>\n \u201cData security and data privacy have become a top priority as we move more information online,\u201d said Deb Ketring, chief information officer for Rockwood School District. \u201cPartnering with Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ has allowed us to improve our information and security practices without using our limited funds to hire a cybersecurity professional.\u201d<\/p>\n Many groups said the significant cost savings provided through their Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ partnership allows them to place greater emphasis on their programs and services benefitting children, youth and adults in the region.<\/p>\n \u201cThis program is a breath of fresh air for school districts, like ours, that devote all their resources to students,\u201d said Jason Rooks, director of technology and innovation for Parkway School District. \u201cThe monetary value of the information Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ provides to us is huge. I\u2019m able to take the funds I\u2019m not spending on these services and put them back into the classroom with our students.\u201d<\/p>\n The program also connects individuals in the region\u2019s nonprofit and startup communities through education, mentoring and networking. Workshops are held discussing a variety of cyber security topics at St. Louis\u2019 burgeoning tech communities of T-REX and Cortex. Attendees then share that knowledge with their networks.<\/p>\n Rooks spoke about his district\u2019s partnership with Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ at a recent gathering of the Missouri School Board Association. His presentation discussed incident response best practices and included a recommendation for groups to reach out to Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ during future incidents.<\/p>\n \u201cSchool districts have robust technology infrastructures comparable to Fortune 500 companies, but we often get overlooked in the cyber security world. I want other districts to know that when things get serious, they have a resource to reach out to for guidance and support before, during and after an incident takes place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n More than 150 nonprofit organizations, including charities, churches, school districts and private schools, small businesses and social service providers, have received free information security analysis through the CFC. Partnerships exist through the \u201cProtect and Connect\u201d program with funding support provided through a three-year, $435,000 grant from the PNC Foundation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are impressed with how the \u2018Protect and Connect\u2019 program has grown since its inception and the many different constituents it has engaged,\u201d said Debbie Marshall, senior vice president and director of client and community relations for PNC Financial Services Group. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting to hear how the CFC clients don\u2019t have the resources to dedicate to cyber security, even though there is a great need. We\u2019re thrilled Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s cyber security students are able to come in and fill that need.\u201d<\/p>\n