ST. LOUIS, May 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of a historic global pandemic that has resulted in an increase in cybercrime and revealed deep inequities in talent within the cybersecurity industry, The Global Center for Cybersecurity @ Cortex (GCC) officially launched by hosting its inaugural virtual conference — Net Measure. At the event, leading security experts addressed how the cybersecurity industry can remove the boundaries and barriers that exist between individuals, organizations and countries — with the goal of solving far-reaching challenges in cybersecurity together.

The GCC also announced a global initiative to address one of the biggest issues facing the cybersecurity workforce and combating cybercrime: a critical lack of professional development opportunities and barriers surrounding diversity.  With this announcement, the GCC will be taking steps to build, train and promote talent in underrepresented communities. GCC operations are headquartered at the Cortex Innovation Community, a vibrant, 200-acre hub of business, innovation and technology integrated into St. Louis' historic Central West End.

"Cybersecurity is people security. It is one of the fastest growing industries of our time and one of the largest potential threats to our global society," said Josh Jaffe, president of The Global Center for Cybersecurity @ Cortex (GCC) and vice president Cyber Security & Business Unit Security Officer, Dell Technologies. "How we act upon the challenges and opportunities we see today will shape the future of what the industry looks like and how it operates for generations to come. This year's event is a first step in addressing the challenges in cultivating diverse talent and combating cybercrime. We are excited to work with the Cortex CEO Sam Fiorello and the rest of his leadership team to launch these efforts from this important hub of innovation and collaboration in St. Louis."

Cyber threats are rising exponentially. In fact, cybercrime increased 600% in 2020 and is expected to continue to increase through rapid 5G transformation. Concurrently, the industry is currently not meeting job demand and as the threats become more diverse, so too must the teams put in place to defend against them.

"The currency for high-tech jobs is talent. We need to broaden our efforts to develop a well-prepared workforce to tackle the fast-changing world of cybersecurity," said Sam Fiorello, president & CEO, Cortex Innovation Community. "With the launch of the Global Center for Cybersecurity @ Cortex, we will be able to transform our approach to pairing a well-skilled, diverse, workforce with the critical challenges facing the cybersecurity world."

GCC is founded on the realization that true cybersecurity relies on an ecosystem of matrixed organizations and the understanding that each organization is incentivized to only manage within its own boundaries. Between those boundaries, natural gaps exist in a variety of forms — disparities in knowledge, talent, standards, sector practices, infrastructure and scale. Each poses a common threat to the whole community. At the event speakers and panelists discussed how to holistically address and reverse these threats.

Industry leaders who participated in the event included: 

• Masha Sedova, Co-founder and President of Elevate Security
• Lamont Orange, CISO of Netskope
• Gen. Jim Clapper, Former U.S. Director of National Intelligence
• Steve Hill, Deputy Director in the UK National Security Secretariat of the Cabinet Office
• Chris Inglis, Nominee for National Cyber Director in the Executive Office of the President

"Much of our talent lies in diversity and now more than ever we need to give our communities the encouragement and tools to participate in the greatest challenge facing our Allies since the last war," said Greg Sim, founder of 2020Partners.

With a vision of "A World More Equal and Secure" GCC will host an annual Net Measure event to provide data and insights that address issues relevant to CISOs and their teams, regardless of organization size or location.

You can learn more about The Global Center for Cybersecurity @ Cortex (GCC) and how to become a member here.

About The Global Center for Cybersecurity @ Cortex (GCC)

The Global Center for Cybersecurity @ Cortex (GCC) is dedicated to enriching the global community by solving globe as enterprise cybersecurity challenges that serve chief security executives everywhere, regardless of size or industry, through collaboration, workforce development and innovation.

To learn more, visit globalcenterforcyber.org. 

About Cortex

Founded in 2002 through a collaboration of Washington University in St. Louis, BJC Healthcare, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Saint Louis University and the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Cortex Innovation Community (CortexSTL.com) is a nationally and internationally recognized hub of innovation and technology commercialization. It serves as an anchor in St. Louis' growing ecosystem of innovative startups and established companies. Cited by the Brookings Institution as a Best Practice among global urban innovation districts, Cortex is home to 425 technology-related businesses, and it provides a deep pool of entrepreneurial support programs available to the entire St. Louis community.

 

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SOURCE Global Center for Cybersecurity