The Cybersecurity Center

Automation Alley understands that protecting your business against cyber threats is crucial for success in today’s digital world. Whether protecting sensitive data, ensuring business continuity, mitigating financial risks, safeguarding intellectual property, preserving supply chain integrity, complying with regulations, or maintaining customer trust, navigating these important aspects of cyber health doesn't have to be achieved alone.

The Cybersecurity Center
About

Oakland University Cybersecurity Center

Cybersecurity resilience through preparedness, innovation & collaboration  

What is the Oakland University Cybersecurity Center?

Automation Alley has been awarded $2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response to create a university-based cybersecurity center in Michigan focused on R&D and insights that will result in capabilities that reduce the risk of power disruption from a cyber-incident for energy delivery systems, and education that enables cybersecurity by design in the energy sector.

 

This Cybersecurity Center will:

  • Be one of several DOE-funded university-based cybersecurity centers created to enhance the security and resilience of the nation’s critical energy infrastructure.
  • Collaborate with other DOE-funded centers while focusing primarily on the needs in the state of Michigan related to enhancing the security of energy systems.
  • Focus on reducing the impacts of disruptive cybersecurity attacks through preparation, innovation, and collaboration with other government agencies as well as the private sector.
  • Provide opportunities for students to enter cybersecurity careers through internships and apprenticeships in the energy, automotive and electric/gas utilities industries.
  • Train cybersecurity professionals on how to establish strong protections to prevent bad actors from taking advantage of systems for industrial espionage, intellectual property theft, IP leakage, or even production sabotage.
  • Help develop workforce in challenging areas including Internet of Things (IoT), Cyber Resilience, digital forensic science, malware analysis and ransomware detection, and other cyber-attacks on cyber physical systems (CPS) and disinformation detection.

Participate in Cybersecurity Research

What is the research for?

The aim of this research is to prepare Michigan manufacturers for Industry 4.0. Cybersecurity is a critical component of Industry 4.0. The first step of this research is to evaluate cybersecurity preparedness among Michigan manufacturers. The results from this research will help identify areas of improvement to increase cybersecurity resilience. 

Automation Alley is teaming up with SensCy to conduct this research using their SensCy Score™ methodology. A cyber professional from SensCy will conduct a 30-minute cyber evaluation - no preparation required. For participating in the research, you will get a one-page summary of your organization’s evaluation.

To schedule your meeting, click here.

What is your SensCy score?

The SensCy team leveraged the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) cybersecurity framework to develop the SensCy Score™ assessment. The SensCy Score™ analyzes over 100 data points in just under 40 questions to provide a trackable measurement of an organization’s cyberhealth – the SensCy Score™. The SensCy Score is on a 1000-point scale, and companies should strive for a score of over 800, just like a credit score. Factors that affect your score include cybersecurity policies in place, cyber awareness among employees, implementation of appropriate cybersecurity safeguards, ability to detect and respond to cyber incidents, and ability to restore normal operations after a cyberattack.

How much does the evaluation cost?

The evaluation is part of the research project funded by the grant from the Department of Energy and is provided at no cost to the participants.

How long does it take? Do I need to prepare anything for the evaluation?

The evaluation takes less than 30 minutes, and no preparation is required. SensCy applies a personalized consultation approach to ensure a thorough evaluation of the manufacturing industry’s readiness for Industry 4.0. 

What do I get at the end of the evaluation?

The evaluation provides participants with a SensCy Score™ and a one-page report. This summary highlights your score and includes applicable recommendations to achieve a score of over 800. The benefit of participating in this research is to empower you with actionable insights that drive meaningful improvements in your security posture.

SensCy Score selling points:

  • Assess your organization’s readiness for the transition to Industry 4.0
  • Be an active part of the transition to I4.0 - join the revolution
  • Prove to your clients, partners, and team that you take their data seriously
  • Is your cyberhealth score as good as your credit score (i.e. 800+)?
  • Sleep better at night with proof that your organization is doing the right things to combat growing cyber risks against small and medium-sized businesses
  • Understand the risk to your brand, people, and supply chain posed by cyberattacks
  • To understand what to improve, you need to understand where you are. 

In partnership with:

This content is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) under Award Number(s) DE-CR0000023.

This content was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States Government. Neither the United States Government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States Government or any agency thereof. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States Government or any agency thereof.

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