SEPTEMBER 10, 2021 — The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Center for Government Contracting (CGC) is bringing its resources and its experience to the Institute of Cybersecurity and Innovation (ICSI). The center is a new program of the North East Independent School District (NEISD) that is giving students real-world experience in the cybersecurity field.
Terri Williams, associate regional director of the CGC, is leading her center’s support of the program, which matches students with small business owners so that they can serve as risk management personnel and provide input on cybersecurity matters.
“Our center has cybersecurity expertise and we look forward to mentoring opportunities in the future,” said Williams, who is a volunteer board member of the NEISD.
Williams said that when she saw the opportunity for the CGC to support the school district’s new institute, she offered to connect the school with companies her center has worked with to participate in the program. A specialty center of the South West Texas Border SBDC Network, the CGC assists small business owners with employer services, emergency preparedness and cybersecurity needs.
The CGC will provide its experience in cybersecurity to serve as mentors to students and to oversee class assignments taking place at the institute, explained Williams, who added that she looks forward to finding more ways her center can assist the ISCI in the future.
The CGC and the SBDC are two of several centers hosted by the UTSA Institute for Economic Development, which is dedicated to creating jobs, growing businesses and fostering economic development.
Today’s students were born and raised in the age of digital technology, making them digital natives. The ISCI will not only enhance students’ skills, it will also prepare them for college and their futures. For small businesses owners, the program is an opportunity to receive assistance in mitigating risks and building cybersecurity plans.
The ISCI’s simulated mission control allows students to experience the world of cybersecurity in real time. Workstations equipped with computers and global maps displayed on large flat-screen monitors on the walls provide an opportunity to assess live cyber threats. “So many students, the community, the state and country will benefit from this,” Williams said.
With cyber attacks on the rise, so is the demand for talent and the need to prepare the next generation of cybersecurity experts. Cybersecurity Magazine cited a recent CISCO study that found more than half (52%) of small businesses do not have a full-time IT security employee. If an attack occurred, a majority (83%) of small and medium-sized businesses would not be “financially prepared to recover from a cyber attack.”
For the students of NEISD who attend the ICSI and experience its cybersecurity learning, they indeed have a wonderful opportunity to gain a head start in a rewarding and much-needed career field.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Join the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
