Israel: Accelerating Global Cybersecurity Innovation By Chuck Brooks
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In regards to talent, Israel is one of the most highly educated nations in the world per capita. Moreover, since it is a citizen army, many Israelis gain technical capabilities in security missions, including cybersecurity. One of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) most prestigious units is called Unit 8200. The unit is responsible for intercepting and collecting digital communication and intelligence on Israel’s enemies. In recent months, it has shared information with allies and thwarted attacks in France, Australia and other countries. Unit 8200 are on the front line of Israel’s cyberwars for identifying and mitigating threats.
Former members of Unit 8200 comprise several of the most innovative startups coming out of Israel. This is not surprising because the Israel government of Israel encourages entrepreneurship in coordination with accelerators, incubators, academia and Israel-based businesses. This is a unique mode that allows for real world experience integrated into technologies combined with validation of applications. It also stimulates global collaboration and brings companies to Israel.
Creating skilled cybersecurity workers is also a national priority in Israel. Cybersecurity education in Israel can start as early kindergarten. In some Israeli schools, fourth-graders learn computer programming while gifted 10th-graders take after-school classes in encryption tactics, and coding. Cybersecurity is offered as an elective in Israel high schools.
Because of an educational system offering training in cybersecurity from the beginning, innovative tech approaches derived in real experiences via the IDF, and their ability to bring speed to market, Israel has become in many eyes a global foundry for cybersecurity.
Cooperative innovation such as that between Israel and the United States is an evolving paradigm for successful operations in the global marketplace. It not only involves being innovative and technologically competent, but also protecting security assets in the expanding threat environment.
According to Start-up Nation, At the end of 2017, there were some 420 active cybersecurity firms in Israel. More than Thirty multinational corporations have cybersecurity-related R&D innovation centers locally, including AT&T, Dell EMC, Intel, Oracle, IBM, and Daimler Benz. Innovation centers and the corresponding communities are cost-effective. It allows a sponsor to utilize funding to draw a broad range of individuals and businesses to it. This offers significant access to cybersecurity leaders, technologies, business ideas and partnership opportunities. Innovation centers will dramatically enhance a corporate sponsor’s research and development, business pipeline and talent pool.
The former director of the CIA, Gen David Petraeus, at a recent conference in Tel Aviv called Israel a “cyber superpower,” Petraeus said the partnership between the US and Israel has allowed the two countries to foil threats together. “The collaboration reaches new heights time and time again, far beyond what is being published in the media.”
Some of the areas of cybersecurity collaboration that Israel specializes in includes vulnerability and risk management, IoT security, network security, advanced persistent treats, SCADA security, and incident response. The innovation and collaboration correlates directly to in the increasing sophisticated global threat landscape that can directly impact the viability of a country’s economy.
A country’s reputation, and revenue pipelines are all directly threatened by cyber-attacks and breaches in this era of connectivity. A cyber-attack takes place every 39 seconds and the sophistication and capabilities of hackers and other threat actors are morphing and growing. A new report by Juniper Research has found that criminal data breaches will cost businesses a total of $8 trillion over the next 5 years, due to higher levels of Internet connectivity and inadequate enterprise wide security.
A 2017 study by Toffler Associates, “The Future of Security and Protection,” summarized the state of global commerce. The study concludes “that successful organizations understand that a culture of security and protection begins at the top and innovative approaches are differentiators in a competitive and complex environment.”
Indeed, Israel epitomizes a culture of security and protection. It also personifies the resourcefulness and risk-taking necessary to address current and evolving threats. The Cyber Startup Observatory© Israel CyberSlide© is a formidable representation of the type and extent of Israeli expertise and innovation available on the cybersecurity global stage.
Chuck Brooks is the Principal Market Growth Strategist for General Dynamics Mission Systems for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies. He is also Adjunct Faculty at Georgetown University’s Applied Intelligence Program where he teaches course on risk management, homeland security, and cybersecurity. LinkedIn named Chuck as one of “The Top 5 Tech People to Follow on LinkedIn” out of their 550 million members. He was named by Thompson Reuters as a “Top 50 Global Influencer in Risk, Compliance,” and by IFSEC as the “#2 Global Cybersecurity Influencer” in 2018. .In both 2017 and 2016, he was named “Cybersecurity Marketer of the Year by the Cybersecurity Excellence Awards. He is also a Cybersecurity Expert for “The Network” at the Washington Post, Visiting Editor at Homeland Security Today.
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