ASU Selected to Pilot DIR Regional Security Operations Center
April 14, 2022

“We are excited to partner with ASU as we expand cybersecurity services to local entities in the West Texas region,” said Amanda Crawford, DIR’s Executive Director and Chief Information Officer for the state of Texas. “We received exceptional proposals from several Texas public universities, but ASU’s proposal convinced us that they will hit the ground running and lay the foundation for this program’s future success for all of Texas.”
Senate Bill 475, passed in the 87th Legislative Session, created the RSOC to provide “boots on the ground” support close to local governments that need assistance with major cybersecurity incidents. The RSOC will also offer network security infrastructure that local governments can utilize and give university students hands-on experience to strengthen the cybersecurity workforce of tomorrow. The RSOC may also provide real-time network security monitoring; network security alerts; incident response; and cybersecurity educational services. Eligible customers include counties, local governments, school districts, water districts, hospital districts, and regional state agency offices.
ASU deployment strategy is to leverage existing cybersecurity academic programs in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Center for Security Studies, Department of Computer Science and other departments, as well as existing staff and infrastructure, to grow local expertise, expand ASU facilities, and increase infrastructure and resources to expedite the establishment of the RSOC. ASU will also provide a continuous pipeline of quality interns to augment the RSOC while the students gain real-world experience in offensive and defensive cyber operations and cyber intel support.
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The mission of the Texas Department of Information Resources is to serve Texas government by leading the state’s technology strategy, protecting state technology infrastructure, and offering innovative and cost-effective solutions for all levels of government. Visit DIR at https://dir.texas.gov.