IoT Smart Infrastructure Working Group

Topic: “Critical Infrastructure Security:  A Game of Chess.”

Abstract
The protection of our Nation’s most critical infrastructure sectors is a shared responsibility across Government and Industry. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (aka the Infrastructure Bill) represents transformational legislation intended to fortify, modernize, and secure the transportation, energy, water, and communications sectors. Doing so, however, will require due diligence necessary ensure technology capabilities map to mission needs. Executive Order 14028 underscores that incremental improvements are insufficient. Instead, the Order states that “the Federal Government needs to make bold changes and significant investments in order to defend the vital institutions that underpin the American way of life.”

Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) systems will require process integration to monitor, analyze, and protect the vital machine that ensures our safety. Moreover, the cyber-physical threats posed to the systems that control and operate the critical infrastructure we depend upon are among the most significant and growing issues confronting our Nation. Fortunately, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices can afford opportunities for ubiquitous, continuous connectivity while protecting the digital communication, data, and control across an expansive threat landscape. The end game is to defend our critical infrastructure by encouraging and facilitating deployment of technologies and systems that provide threat visibility, indications, detection, and warnings, and that facilitate response capabilities for cybersecurity in essential control system and operational technology networks.  

Thought Leaders
-    John Walsh: SVP, Strategy | BedRock Systems, Inc.
-    Pete Tseronis: CEO and Founder | Dots and Bridges LLC | Moderator

Guest Speaker
John Walsh is s a recognized subject matter expert in many aspects of cyber security architectures and frameworks in Government, Commercial, and Critical Industries/Infrastructure. As a Government and Industry thought leader, he has held senior level positions (i.e., President, Chief Strategy Officer and CTO, SVP Strategy) in public and privately held companies developing strategies to achieve objectives for the Government and Commercial sectors co-innovating and operationalizing technology-based solutions, building the teams, and implementing the collaborative structure necessary to execute. His experience spans security architectures: from the semi-conductor “up the stack”; securing the edge to cloud; secure compute and network enclaves; IT enterprise/OT convergence; cyber assessment and operational training; the cyber maturity capabilities model; certified DoD penetration testing; Type 1 systems and certification; cryptographic architectures/methods; cyber resilience and integration into weapon systems; critical infrastructure/controls systems; defense in depth and implementation of the zero trust model. He sits on several institutional advisory boards w/r to Cyber Security/Resilience and holds 14 patents with patents pending in cyber security and zero trust related technologies.

Contact Nancy Delanoche if you'd like to attend this meeting.

Topic: Securing The Deployment of Critical Infrastructure Devices

Description:
The protection of our Nation’s most critical infrastructure sectors is a shared responsibility across Government and Industry. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (aka the Infrastructure Bill) represents transformational legislation intended to fortify, modernize, and secure the transportation, energy, water, and communications sectors. Doing so, however, will require due diligence necessary ensure technology capabilities map to mission needs. Executive Order 14028 underscores that incremental improvements are insufficient. Instead, the Order states that “the Federal Government needs to make bold changes and significant investments in order to defend the vital institutions that underpin the American way of life.” Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) systems will require process integration to monitor, analyze, and protect the vital machine that ensures our safety. Moreover, the cyber-physical threats posed to the systems that control and operate the critical infrastructure we depend upon are among the most significant and growing issues confronting our Nation. Fortunately, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices can afford opportunities for ubiquitous, continuous connectivity while protecting the digital communication, data, and control across an expansive threat landscape. The end game is to defend our critical infrastructure by encouraging and facilitating deployment of technologies and systems that provide threat visibility, indications, detection, and warnings, and that facilitate response capabilities for cybersecurity in essential control system and operational technology networks.

Guest Speaker
Ken Wolf | President and COO | PacketViper

Ken is a seasoned business executive, technology strategist, and collaborative partner to Government, Commercial, and Academic stakeholders, applying cyber-physical competency to mission-oriented challenges. At PacketVIper, Ken maintains full P&L accountability and leading all business operations while steering the company growth vision and strategy. A market-focused change agent, Ken specializes in business approaches seeking to leverage the promise of disruptive “smart” technologies underpinning our Nation’s critical infrastructure sectors while incorporating the necessary risk mitigation tactics to secure our cities, communities, and municipalities.

WATCH RECORDING HERE (Opens YouTube)

Topic: Addressing The Digital Divide: Rural Tribal Broadband a fireside chat with Pete Tseronis and Kevin Hamer from Akiak Technology LLC

Description:
On June 3, 2021, the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA) issued a historic Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and began accepting applications for $1 billion in available grant funding under the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP). Improving and Expanding the Nation’s broadband infrastructure will require investment in the people, processes, and technologies to make broadband affordable for all Americans, specifically those that are underserved and unserved. While technology can/will underpin a future-state foundation for economic and social benefits, it is paramount that all of humanity realize access to the communications necessary to foster digital inclusion, streamline digital equity, and bridge the digital divide.

WATCH RECORDING HERE (Opens YouTube)