NCI Journal – Vol 3, No 1
Greetings and welcome to the first issue in Volume 3 of the National Cybersecurity Institute Journal.
As the cybersecurity community is aware, our mission at NCI is to increase knowledge of the cybersecurity discipline, and assist the government, industry, military, and academic sectors to better understand and meet the challenges in cybersecurity policy, technology, education, and training. Much attention has been given lately to the role of cybersecurity in our national defense and the roles the next generation of cyber professionals must be prepared for. This edition of the journal provides informative articles that relate to those and other timely cybersecurity issues to better educate and inform our readers. NCI is proud to publish relevant and noteworthy articles that will serve to enlighten those with a vested interest in the cybersecurity field.
In this edition, Charles Parker gives us a view of online higher education from the important perspective of a professor. Audie Hittle discusses the capabilities of innovative data-driven Intelligent Data Storage (IDS), which is followed by work from Ezhil Kalaimannan and Caroline S. John who provide us with information concerning a security development life cycle framework for web-based applications. James Angle reminds us that, increasingly, medical devices have become a major point of attack in the healthcare industry and offers his work about managing the risk of those devices.
We have become increasingly aware of the important role that all sectors play in the defense of our cybersecurity. To that end, Wm. Michael Volk discusses the innovations community colleges are making to actively develop and refine their cybersecurity programs to increase the flow of skilled entry-level employees into the cybersecurity pipeline. In their offering, Ruth Agada and Jie Yan provide details on how they “…developed an animated agent that serves as a virtual commentator in small-scale cybersecurity competitions to educate and engage novice spectators…,” which is a very interesting read.
Finally, we conclude with the work of R. David Parker and Michael D. Regier, who note the importance of cybersecurity to our national defense and offer their article “Vulnerability Risk Modeling: Combining Cybersecurity & Epidemiology to Enhance National Defense,” which is a must-read for everyone with a vested interest in the cybersecurity of our nation and our critical infrastructure.
This edition of the National Cybersecurity Journal is, once again, timely in bringing you the latest information relating to cybersecurity and the important issues in that arena. The articles you find on these pages will provide you with insight that you will bring to the workplace, and instill in those you speak with a desire for further thought on the myriad of cybersecurity issues that swirl around us.
The National Cybersecurity Journal Journal is never the work of one individual but always a collaboration of dedicated individuals here at NCI whose hard work results in the informative product you have before you. My sincere thanks go to all the notable authors, the administration, and our hard-working staff for their outstanding efforts in bringing the National Cybersecurity Institute Journal to you once again. I hope that everyone in the cyber community will find this journal informative as you work within your respective cyber areas. As always, I look forward to your comments, suggestions, and future submissions.
Jane A. LeClair, EdD
Editor in Chief
