Walsh University, in partnership with Pelican3 and Information Security Summit (ISS), co-hosted the fifth annual Community Cybersecurity Summit on October 12, 2023, a free event that has been touted as one of the most informative conferences in the region.
Businesses and vendors from as far as New Hampshire, local government offices, multiple chambers of commerce, the Stark Economic Development Board, Strengthening Stark, and Walsh faculty, staff and students were in attendance. The event included nationally recognized speakers, networking opportunities and breakout sessions that focused on the economic development in Ohio, how advancements in technology create vulnerabilities and new cyber threats, and specific actions businesses can take to protect themselves and prepare for the future.
Over 25 students from multiple area high schools participated in the program and were provided special insight into potential career paths in cybersecurity and other technology-related fields.
“The unique mix in this room today was intentional,” said Dr. Dan Passerini, Executive Director of Cross-Enterprise Operations, who leads the initiative for the university and has spearheaded the collaborations, now in its fifth consecutive year. “As a person who has resided in the state my entire life, it is exciting to see the massive economic growth that is coming to our state. This will create incredible opportunity for businesses, but they will need a talented and well-trained workforce to foster innovation and protect them from the growing cyber threats that will come with this new technology-driven economy. We believe it is critical to create an environment at Walsh where business leaders and students can interact in an enriching experience to consider both the opportunities and challenges of the future.”
The conference began with a panel discussion of the current investments in technology across Ohio, the future impact on our region and the local economy, and the role of cybersecurity related to Ohio’s growth and regulatory policy. The panel, moderated by Paul Hugenberg, a Founder and Managing Member of Pelican3 Consulting LLC, included Dr. Passerini, Jeff Dafler, Vice President of Economic Development & Public Policy at the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, and Rob Blanchard, a Founder and Managing Member of Pelican3.
With a growing number of companies relocating or investing billions of dollars in operations in Ohio, business is booming! That means there is an enormous opportunity for public-private partnerships to foster coordination with higher education and nonprofits in areas of research and innovation, infrastructure, and developing and supporting a skilled workforce to fill these positions.
“The Chamber is committed to driving economic growth and community vitality in our region and increasingly that includes a lot of effort in the areas of workforce, education and technology, not just in Stark County but across the state and across the country,” Dafler said. “It has become so vital to every workplace and it’s increasingly important that we are collaborating with educational institutions like Walsh, with high schools, with technical training programs, and with employers to make sure we have the workforce here to fuel what comes next.”
Walsh University, applauded by members of the National Science Board (NSB) for being an exemplar and leader in the nation in the area of STEM and workforce development, plays a critical role in our regional and national economies by partnering with companies to build a bridge between academic research, analytical capabilities and application development, by upskilling incumbent workers through the Skilled Technical Workforce program, and by preparing our students to drive future innovation.
“Five years ago, the National Science Board sounded the alarm that our nation was falling behind in STEM education and developing a technology-driven workforce prepared to meet the demands of the economy of tomorrow. Since then, we are proud to say that they have recognize Walsh University and our Skilled Technical Workforce Program as being at the center of the national conversation and leading the nation in their call to higher education to provide meaningful education and training pathways focused on the integration of technology into practical business applications,” said Dr. Passerini. “We are proud of our track record of excellence and our partnerships with the business community and industry leader.” Passerini went on to announce the launch of two new certificate programs offered through the Skilled Technical Workforce Program focused on cybersecurity and other technology-related fields.
Innovation in science and technology will drive economic growth in Ohio. However, that comes with the responsibility of protecting our digital infrastructure from vulnerabilities and malicious attacks including ransomware and security breaches, that have the potential to cripple any company, large or small. These cyber-attacks threaten business in virtually all sectors of our economy and can have sweeping and far-reaching implications. Protecting against future threats will require technological advances, more stringent cybersecurity practices, and comprehensive education.
“Technology is advancing and allowing businesses to evolve and compete at a scale we have never seen in human history. That is exciting, but it can also scar people who might think that technology could replace them or make their job obsolete. The key is to work with our education partners like Walsh University to provide practical programs to upskill our incumbent workers and high-quality degree programs that will prepare young people to meet the demands of tomorrow business landscape,” Blanchard said. “For the students in this room, I encourage you to explore career paths that would be fulfilling for you in this field. You are going to have the edge moving forward. You’ll have a job for life.”
Julia Valentine, a technology expert, entrepreneur, and investor, who serves as Chief Technology Officer at Inspire Global Ventures, a board member of Apple Bank and co-founder of Digital Evolution Institute, gave the keynote on the role of innovation in technology and technology investments.
“The average data breach in America cost about $10 million in 2022,” she said. “The core functions of cybersecurity risk management framework are Identifying risks, protect the organization from identified risks, detect potential cybersecurity events, responding, and recovering.”
Valentine also spoke about creating an inviting culture for future technology professionals and the importance of cybersecurity in the future business environment.
The Community Cybersecurity Summit included a question and answer session for students to ask questions related to IT or cybersecurity.
Due to the partnership with ISS, who also hosts a large annual cybersecurity conference in October, Dr. Passerini announced that Walsh would be moving its Community Cybersecurity Summit to the Spring. The next conference is planned for March 13, 2024.
