A higher education cybersecurity center in Louisiana

LSU added another tool to its cybersecurity arsenal Thursday with the opening of a new center dedicated to securing statewide higher education and creating a pathway to cybersecurity careers for LSU students. This center, called the Security Operations Center (SOC), was created with the goal of improving the university's "cybersecurity posture," says Craig Woolley, LSU's chief information technology officer.

US universities under attack: LSU's new center aims to defend educational institutions from hackers and educate students

News of the SOC's opening comes as many universities in Louisiana and around the country have suffered numerous cyberattacks in recent years. The effects of these attacks range from brief outages to major problems, as in the case of the University of South Louisiana, where computer and internet infrastructure remained unusable for weeks. State authorities have warned that cyber attacks are increasingly frequent and sophisticated, but it is difficult to find personnel with the skills needed to defend against such threats.

Collaboration with TekStream and Splunk for the creation of the center

The SOC is the result of a collaboration between LSU and the Atlanta-based company TekStream. TekStream assisted with incident management and response, while technology company Splunk provided technology for data analysis and monitoring. According to TekStream CEO Rob Jansen, finding and hiring highly qualified cybersecurity personnel can be a challenge, but they have seen great benefits in partnering with LSU to train students and prepare them to take on increasingly complex jobs in the future.

LSU aims to become a leader in cybersecurity nationwide

LSU's SOC doesn't just protect the university campus; It will also be the starting point for a statewide cybersecurity program using the Louisiana Optical Network Infrastructure (LONI), the state's research and development network. Thanks to a $7.5 million investment from the state, LSU plans to expand the LSU-LONI-SOC model to 30 additional universities at no additional cost to each institution. This innovative project will help create jobs and protect the citizens of Louisiana from cyber threats, thus achieving LSU's goals as a leader in cybersecurity.