Public Private Partnerships And The Cybersecurity Challenge Of Protecting Critical Infrastructure

In the U.S., most of the critical infrastructure, including defense, oil and gas, electric power grids, health care, utilities, communications, transportation, education, banking and finance, is owned by the private sector (about 85 percent according to DHS) and regulated by the public sector. The public and private relationship in operating and protecting critical infrastructure requires a strong working partnership.

Protecting the critical infrastructure poses a difficult challenge because democratic societies by their nature are interactive, open and accessible. Because of the growing digital connectivity (and interdependence) of both IT and industrial control systems, critical infrastructure is facing an evolving and sophisticated array of cybersecurity challenges.

Chuck BrooksChuck BrooksJune 6, 2022Chuck Brooks, Cybersecurity, Public Private PartnershipsComment

Catalyzing Innovation via Centers, Labs, and Foundries

The cornerstone of collaboration is based on knowledge transfer; sharing of research tools, methodologies and findings; and sometimes combining mutual funding resources to meet shortfalls necessary to build prototypes and commercialize technologies.

Collaborations often involve combinations of government, industry and academia who work together to meet difficult challenges and cultivate new ideas. A growing trend for many leading companies is creating technology specific innovation centers, labs, and foundries to accelerate collaboration and invention.

Chuck BrooksChuck BrooksApril 24, 2022Chuck Brooks, Catalyzing, Innovation, Centers, Labs, FoundriesComment

Risk Management And Black Swan Events

In 2007, statistician Nassim Nicholas Taleb defined “Black Swan” as an event that “is an outlier,” as it lies outside the realm of regular expectations. Black Swans by that definition are mostly unforeseen, rare, and can be created by geo-political, economic, or from other unexpected events.

Chuck BrooksChuck BrooksMarch 28, 2022Risk Management, Black Swan Event, Chuck BrooksComment

A Scoville Heat Scale For Measuring Cybersecurity

The Scoville Scale is a measurement chart used to rate the heat of peppers or other spicy foods. It can also can have a useful application for measuring cybersecurity threats. Cyber-threats are also red hot as the human attack surface is projected to reach over 6 billion people by 2022. In addition, cyber-crime damage costs are estimated to reach $6 trillion annually by 2021. The cybersecurity firm RiskIQ states that every minute approximately 1,861 people fall victim to cyber-attacks, while some $1.14 million is stolen. In recognition of these alarming stats, perhaps it would be useful to categorize cyber-threats in a similar scale to the hot peppers we consume. I have provided my own Scoville Scale-like heat characterizations of the cyber threats we are facing below.

Chuck BrooksChuck BrooksDecember 27, 2021Chuck Brooks, Cybersecurity, Scoville Heat ScaleComment

The New Techno-Fusion: The Merging Of Technologies Impacting Our Future

The process of systems integration (SI) functionally links together infrastructure, computing systems, and applications. SI can allow for economies of scale, streamlined manufacturing, and better efficiency and innovation through combined research and development. New to the systems integration toolbox are the emergence of transformative technologies and, especially, the growing capability to integrate functions due to exponential advances in computing, data analytics, and material science. These new capabilities are already having a significant impact on creating our future destinies.

Chuck BrooksChuck BrooksNovember 11, 2021Chuck Brooks, Techno-Fusion, Merging Technologies, AI, AR, Machine LearningComment

Government, An Integral Partner For Exploring Artificial Intelligence

On June 24, an upcoming conference will explore the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the public sectors. AI World Government will gather leaders across government, industry and academia to discuss the challenges and potential solutions of AI in automating our expanding digital world. The event is described as “a comprehensive three-day forum to educate and inform public sector agencies on the strategic and tactical benefits of deploying AI and cognitive technologies.”

The topic of AI is garnering attention in government and industry. Research and consulting firm Gartner describes AI as a “technology that appears to emulate human performance typically by learning, coming to its own conclusions, appearing to understand complex content, engaging in natural dialogs with people, enhancing human cognitive performance or replacing people on execution of non-routine tasks.”

Chuck BrooksChuck BrooksFebruary 24, 2021Chuck Brooks, Government, AI, artificial intelligence, DARPA, IARPAComment

Sheltering At Home, A Day In The Life In The COVID-19 Pandemic

There is little doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic is having a cataclysmic impact on our lives no matter where you may live. Our work and social routines have been usurped, and we live in fear of becoming infected with a virus that is massively contagious and potentially lethal.

Chuck BrooksChuck BrooksFebruary 20, 2021COVID-19, Pandemic, Sheltering At Home, Chuck BrooksComment

Emerging Tech Impacting The Security Industry

Emerging technologies are already impacting how we live and work. They're also changing how we approach, plan, and integrate security operations. With the advent of artificial intelligence, robotics, quantum computing, the Internet of Things, augmented reality, materials science, 3-D printing, and data analytics, the security industry is being transformed.

Certainly, we are living in an era where innovation, agility and imagination are all essential in order to keep pace with the exponential technological transformation taking place. For security, both physical and cyber, the equation is the same catalyzing many new potential applications for emerging technologies.

Chuck BrooksChuck BrooksSeptember 23, 2020Chuck Brooks, Emerging Tech, Security IndustryComment

Four Emerging Technology Areas That Will Help Define Our World In 2019

2018 was surely a transformative year for technological innovation. We saw early development of ambient computing, quantum teleportation, cloaks of invisibility, genomics advancements and even robocops. Granted we're not flying around in our own cars like the Jetsons did yet, but we're closer. In 2019 we will continue on the transformation path and expand even more into adopting cutting edge immersive technologies. What's ahead for the coming year? I envision four emerging technology areas that will significantly impact our lives in 2019.

Chuck BrooksChuck BrooksSeptember 1, 2020Chuck Brooks, 2019, Emerging TechnologyComment

Editorial