White House recognizes OCRI's efforts in cyber workforce development

October was Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and the White House challenged organizations to meet the growing demand for cybersecurity talent to build more secure, resilient and defensible cyberspace.

“We are appreciative of the commitments made by big technology companies like Cisco Systems and Palo Alto Networks, by manufacturers like Boeing, financial institutions like Visa, non-profits like ISC2, partnerships between groups like Siemens Energy, the SANS Institute and ICS Village, and statewide ecosystems like the Ohio Cyber Range Institute-Regional Programming center Ecosystem,” said Kemba Walden, acting national cyber director for the White House. “Together, commitments made by all of these institutions will build the pipeline of cyber talent and foster our ability to create a secure, resilient and defensible cyberspace.”

The OCRI is a statewide, collaborative network that supports cybersecurity programs across Ohio. The institute’s goal is to advance an integrated approach to cybersecurity education, workforce and economic development in cyber-related fields throughout the state.

In July, the OCRI hosted a cybersecurity exercise at UC Digital Futures for the Ohio Cyber Reserve, a volunteer force under the command of the state’s adjutant general.

“The OCRI-RPC Ecosystem is committed to expanding its skills-based training on a secure cyber range to all 88 counties in Ohio,” a release from the White House states. “The OCRI-RPC Ecosystem has supported, to date, over 20,000 distinct Ohio-based users through 314 K-12 classes, 668 higher education courses, and delivering 105 cyber camps, exercises, and bootcamps, the latter involving 1000 citizens seeking industry recognized cybersecurity credentials.”

Featured image at top: Marc Cahay, PhD, co-director of the Ohio Cyber Range Institute and head of the University of Cincinnati's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, speaks during the fifth annual Cybersecurity Education Symposium on Oct. 13 at UC Digital Futures. Photo/Margot Harknett