The Center for Digital Government recently announced the winners of its seventh-annual Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation Awards. The annual Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation Awards program, which is underwritten by McAfee, acknowledges leaders who made significant cybersecurity-related contributions in state and local government, education, and healthcare organizations.
Teri Takai, executive director of the Center for Digital Government, stated, “Cybersecurity threats are on the rise, and as stewards of some of the public’s most important and sensitive data, it’s more critical than ever that we recognize the government, education and healthcare organizations that are raising the bar when it comes to the best ways to protect that information.”
With the federal government having undergone a nearly 680 percent increase in cyber security attacks over the past six years, cybersecurity innovations are more important than ever. The highest honors went to those who have developed effective programs to safeguard systems and data.
Some of the 2017 Cybersecurity Leadership and Innovation Award winners include:
State of Arizona – Security Program: The state of Arizona information security office standardized 13 security controls across 35 agencies within six months, in a federated state that has no mandate requiring the agencies to adopt the security controls.
City and County of Denver – 2016 Elections: Denver’s cybersecurity program was focused on election integrity. By working with the Colorado Secretary of State and the Division of Homeland Security, the city was able to utilize tools for the pre-election validation of equipment and day-of monitoring.
Damian Chung, Sr. Director, Cybersecurity Engineering, Dignity Health: Damian Chung promotes, provides mentorship, and motivational guest speaking for Year Up, which is a non-profit organization that aims to teach and provide internships for economically-challenged young adults who are interested in technology. Additionally, Chung has been working on secure cloud solutions for healthcare for the past eight years.
Paul Yoder, Information Security Specialist, El Camino Community College District: In a community college district that has very little cybersecurity staff or programs, Yoder gained the support of management and increased the priority of cyber security.
These winners have demonstrated commitment and dedication to ensuring cybersecurity systems for government, education, and healthcare organizations are not only available, but also reliable and trustworthy.