Serious About Cybersecurity in Eastern Idaho Eastern Idaho is a hidden gem for cybersecurity expertise. The region is supported by four campuses that offer cybersecurity-related degrees, from associate programs to Ph.D.s. It is also home to one of the nation’s leading federally funded research centers focused on critical infrastructure resilience. While the region has long been a critical place for educating the cybersecurity workforce, businesses also see the value in investing in the area. The Eastern Idaho Cybersecurity Alliance is bringing together public and private organizations to share resources with a focus on education, research and industry partnerships. By strengthening partnerships and increasing collaboration, the region aims to increase innovation and create a greater impact for everyone involved. Guardian of the Grid Sean McBride, director of the Informatics Research Institute at Idaho State University, oversees the coordination of cybersecurity curricula at the university. He also directs the students who are committed to work for the federal government when they finish their degrees from the school’s graduate program in cybersecurity. Idaho State University was one of the first five schools in the country that the National Security Agency designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in cybersecurity. That designation was made in 1998. McBride notes that the region’s smart grid cybersecurity initiatives leverage a specialized focus on securing physical and industrial control systems – a field in which Eastern Idaho possesses deep, long-standing expertise. At Idaho State, students gain hands-on experience in labs that mirror real-world critical infrastructure, ranging from smart grids to nuclear technologies. “We’re teaching students how these systems physically work, how adversaries might gain access to them, what they could do once inside and how the systems can be engineered so serious physical consequences – such as power outages or failures – don’t occur,” McBride says. Fast Fact