About

About

For Mississippi's Future Economy

The Mississippi Cyber Initiative was established in 2021 to provide statewide leadership that prepares Mississippi's future economy through unparalleled collaboration and innovation in the digital age.

Mississippi Cyber Center Ribbon Cutting

How We'll Do It

By working closely with state, federal and industry partners, MCI will support the cybersecurity training needs of Biloxi's Keesler Air Force Base, promote economic development for the Gulf Coast region and entire state by attracting and developing advanced technology companies, deliver timely cybersecurity workforce training and education, and address complex and ever-changing cybersecurity issues for the state of Mississippi.

Mississippi's Expertise

MCI is led by Mississippi State University, a national leader in cybersecurity research and education. With Keesler Air Force Base serving as the training site for the Air Force and Department of Defense's cyber force, Mississippi has a unique opportunity to leverage federal and state programs to create a dynamic and innovative ecosystem to support the complex digital infrastructure that impacts all aspects of our economy and our lives.

Why Create the MCI?

Why create the MCI?

The Mississippi Cyber Initiative (MCI) was created to meet the challenges of the cybersecurity reality in the state and around the country and position Mississippi as a leader in a field that will be of critical importance in the years and decades ahead.

Digital and cyber operations involve a complex infrastructure that impacts all aspects of our economy and our lives. We are dependent on cyber-related processes, systems, information sources, and situational awareness.

As our dependence on cyber capabilities continues to grow, so will the need to protect critical information and infrastructure. Many of the systems that facilitate these societal functions are vulnerable to technological exploitation. In meeting those challenges MCI is establishing the foundational elements.

Sensitive information critical to stakeholders is stored and transferred digitally every second, requiring protection at all levels as rapidly evolving cyber technologies have increased the nation's vulnerability to cyberattacks.

In collaboration with of academic, industry and government partners, MCI will be a conduit to assist in spreading digital and cyber information empowering students, faculty, small businesses and industry with knowledge to prevent cybersecurity risk.

Our academic institutions are collectively spearheading efforts to provide digital and cyber knowledge through K-12 programs and into our institutions of higher learning to accelerate Information Technology certifications and degree programs to individuals.

MCI's partnership with Keesler Air Force Base will strengthen the federal cyber workforce, but additional collaborations will help prepare Mississippians for the cyber and technology-focused jobs that will be in demand in the decades to come. MCI partners are already managing STEM and cyber education and training programs at the K-12, community college, and university levels. The MCI collaboration will enhance these efforts, particularly in the Gulf Coast region, and spur new initiatives as opportunities arise to meet specific workforce needs.

Mississippi is nationally recognized in the areas of High-Performance Computing, Autonomy, Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Advanced Manufacturing, Machine Learning, Modeling and Simulation, and more. Cyber security is the primary component for advancing these technologies.  The MCI collaboration will strengthen cybersecurity, accelerating research and innovation and creating economic opportunities for the entire state.

Success will be accomplished through strong partnerships and cooperation among all stakeholders by leveraging the collective expertise among academia, the private sector, state, federal and local government, law enforcement, Department of Defense, and MS National Guard. An aggressive engagement plan will be executed to inform potential stakeholders and promote statewide collaboration.

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