TechHub: Investing in Cyber is a ‘National Security Imperative’

The White House is making a “once in a lifetime” investment in cybersecurity protections, but it’s up to critical infrastructure organizations to tap into it quickly to keep up with the likes of China and other superpowers.

That was one of the messages from Jake Braun, Acting Principal Deputy National Cyber Director at The White House, who visited the Pittsburgh Technology Council on Monday as part of Pittsburgh’s designation in 2023 as one of five U.S. Workforce Hubs.

“If you’re in critical infrastructure and you’re seeking resources to make your business more resilient, there are funds available to make your business more resilient,” Braun said.

700,000 Vacant Cyber Jobs

Braun said roughly $1.8 trillion is available for all types of infrastructure investments, including cybersecurity programs, across three programs: the CHIPS and Science Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

He said there are roughly 700,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions in the U.S., including about 3,000 in the Pittsburgh area.

“It’s a national security imperative to fill these jobs,” he said.

Braun praised the Pittsburgh Technology Council’s Apprenti PGH program, which seeks to eliminate the digital skills gap by helping apprentices earn the skills employers need.

GrayMatter, a long-time Tech Council member, was the first to hire an apprentice with training in cybersecurity through the Apprenti PGH program. In November, the Tech Council named GrayMatter a Tech 50 Awards winner in the “cybersecurity” category.

Many large corporations have mature cybersecurity program, but they still need to find workers and partners to stay at the leading edge.

Braun said China is racing to train its cybersecurity workforce.

“We’ll never beat them (China) on numbers. So, we have to be qualitatively much better,” he told a room full of Tech Council members gathered at Alloy 26 on Pittsburgh’s North Side.

Built In Rather than Bolted On

The White House hopes the five Workforce Hub cities will encourage “public and private investment in new and innovative industries.” The other four cities are Augusta, Ga., Baltimore, Columbus, Ohio, and Phoenix.

In an on-stage discussion with Tech Council President & CEO Audrey Russo, Braun acknowledged the recenter cybersecurity on the Aliquippa Water Authority.

He said water/wastewater authorities can access additional funding to strengthen cybersecurity through the Clean Water Safety Act.

Hacktivist groups, like the one suspected of targeting Israeli-made equipment in the Aliquippa Water Authority attack, are a major concern, he said, but ransomware remains the top threat to most organizations.

A long-term goal to reducing ransomware and other threats is to make cybersecurity an essential part of new technology and business operations early on.

“We want cyber to be built in on the front end rather than bolted on later,” Braun said

For more about the Aliquippa Water Authority incident and an interview with GrayMatter’s Industrial Cybersecurity Lead Scott Christensen, read TechHub‘s post from last week.

Plus, you can find GrayMatter’s cybersecurity portfolio here, which delves into strategies companies can use to supplement their cybersecurity workforce with partners like GrayMatter.