Board members of America’s first responder network, FirstNet, recently toured the Georgia Cyber Center, learning more about evolving cyber threats and the technological investments and innovation being developed there.
Board Chair Edward Horowitz, fellow board member and retired Army Brigadier General Welton Chase, Jr., and members of the Board’s Technology and Public Safety Advocacy Committees were there given a first hand opportunity to see the $100 million investment the state has made to promote innovation, defense and training efforts, as well as collaboration between public and private interests. The Georgia Cyber Center unites Augusta University, Augusta Technical College, the university system of Georgia’s research institutions, the Georgia technical college system, the city of Augusta, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia Department of Defense, and other state, federal and private-sector organizations.
“We learned a great deal in Augusta about the power of working together that could inform future decisions and help keep first responders better protected,” Chase said. “It is great to see the innovation and collaboration occurring at the Georgia Cyber Center, and we are excited to see the progress of the Georgia Cyber Center as FirstNet is built out across the nation for our first responders.”
The money put to the Georgia Cyber Center represents the largest state investment in a cybersecurity facility yet. For FirstNet, which now provides emergency service support to 50 percent of the nation, it also highlighted some of the people and ideas revolving around things that could better protect their network going forward.