Last month, our Center of Innovation for IT director Glen Whitley traveled to Israel as part of a 32-member team on a mission to learn more about the nation’s cyber security measures and to find out how Georgia can partner with them on cyber initiatives.

Glen outlines a few of the key takeaways from the technology mission.

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed & Center of Innovation for IT director Glen Whitley

Georgia is uniquely positioned to collaborate with Israel’s cyber security initiatives.

Israel is a main hub for technology in the Middle East, especially as it relates to cyber security. The nation’s military cyber unit, Unit 8200, has spawned numerous cyber companies and was recently re-located to Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba, where they have set up a Center of Excellence. This combination of academic and military effort creates a strong collaboration that will further cyber developments and workforce in the nation.

Here in Georgia, we are seeing a similar cyber ecosystem emerge. The U.S. Army Cyber Command re-located its headquarters to Augusta, creating an opportunity for government/academic partnership with Georgia Regents University and other nearby institutions.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is working with foreign governments to further cyber security measures globally.

The Department of Homeland security made known that it aims to expand collaborations with the Israel National Cyber Bureau (NCB), as well as Israeli cyber companies and local start-up firms. As these joint efforts increase, and as Israeli companies grow, they will likely begin moving and expanding their operations to the U.S. With 115 cyber companies and a wide landscape of innovation and technology, Georgia is primed to be the best state for these foreign firms to locate.

The Georgia Center of Innovation for IT can bridge connections between foreign cyber companies and technology partners here.

As foreign cyber companies and start-ups locate to the U.S., they will need and want strong technology partners and opportunities for growth – something Georgia is fully equipped to supply. Our Center of Innovation for IT specifically can help bridge the connections between these companies and the technology firms, start-ups and academic institutions we have here.

For more information about the Georgia Center of Innovation for IT, click here.